What Race Are You Running?

Preface: 

What is the purpose of life? I believe there is no answer as uplifting, encouraging, and fulfilling than knowing who you are and why you were born into this earth. As I reflect on my earlier days in high school and university, I recall periods in life singularly marked by peace and confidence -- whereas some of my peers were uncertain of their life's future. This lack of understanding and confidence in who I am generated an unsettling effect on every aspect in their lives. All these unanswered baggage of questions begin to boil inside you, such as "Why do I need to study?...Is this to merely earn a good living and live a happy life?...What is a happy life anyways?  What is a successful life and why do I need to part of it? These are some of the difficult questions my friends were struggling with. 

As I consider the numerous blessings God has bestowed in my life, one of them is the confidence in life. Growing in my faith through reading and studying the lives of prominent Christian thinkers and writers such as C.S Lewis, Ravi Zacharias, William Wilberforce, and Tim Keller became instrumental in forming a biblically sound worldview. 

A new beginning and a new chapter in life... I'm at a crossroads in life. Past 20 years of formal schooling is over. I began to realize different competencies or skill sets are required in different stages of life. I spent the last decade or so being focused on few things: success as a student, cultivating skill sets for future career, and building relationships. Now I think I need to readjust my priorities and begin to unlearn and relearn many of the new skill sets required as a professional. Embracing change is always difficult especially when you see what it is required of you in the future.

Nonetheless, one thing should never change. Our relationship with Jesus Christ. I will be honest. As I've been preoccupied with all my efforts acclimating to the new environment, people, and job, I seem to have neglected the most important thing in life. I felt a sense of shame and embarrassment after reading an article which I'd like to share with all of you. It helped to realign my priorities and rediscover what race I am running. I hope you enjoy it. 

In our book, Lead like Jesus – Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time, Ken Blanchard describes an early morning scenario -- the daily conflict between the task oriented "Human Doing" and the reflective "Human Being" side of our nature. "We all have, in a sense, two selves. We have a task-oriented self that is used to getting the job done and a more reflective side that is very thoughtful. Which of the two selves wakes up quicker in the morning: our external, task-oriented self or our internal and reflective self? Of course, it's our external, task-oriented self. 

What happens in the morning?  The alarm goes off! Have you ever thought about that phrase – alarm clock? What an awful concept! Why isn't it the "Opportunity clock?” Or the "It's going to be a great day clock?” The "alarm" immediately ignites your task- oriented self and you jump out of bed. Pretty soon you're trying to eat breakfast while you washing. You race to the car and immediately pick up the cell phone and rush off to meetings all morning, followed by lunch meetings, and a dinner meeting. Finally you get home at 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. and fall into bed exhausted, without any energy to say goodnight to your spouse. What happens the next day? The "alarm "goes off and you’re at it again. Pretty soon your life becomes a rat race. As Lily Tomlin once said, “The problem with a rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat.”

Not only does life on the run turn into a rat race, but it also turns into an act of just trying to survive the day no matter how noble and worthy the activities may be. When short term survival become the long term pattern of your life and ministry, it is easy to fall into the joy killing mindsets of victim and martyr.  Considering an over busy schedule as a badge of honor or a legitimate rationalization for not taking time to care for your own spiritual health or the mundane needs of  those relationships that make up your private world, is a dangerous act of self deception.

A striking aspect of the life of Jesus was His continuous habit of engaging in times of solitude. Time alone with the Father was an antidote to the ever present pressures of a life filled with people and situations that laid claim to all He had to offer in mind, body, and spirit. As you read Matthew 4:1-11 (a time of temptation), Luke 6:12-13 (a time of decision), Matthew 14:13 (a time of receiving bad news), Matthew 14:23 (a time of success and popularity), and Mark 1-32-38 (a time of choosing the best use of His time), one thing becomes clear -- Jesus always came away from times of solitude with renewed, purpose, energy and perspective to maximize the moment not just survive it. May this be so with you!

Phil Hodges
Phil Hodges, a lifelong friend of Ken Blanchard, served as a human resource and industrial relations manager in corporate America for 36 years with Xerox Corporation and U.S. Steel. In 1997, he served as a Consulting Partner with The Ken Blanchard Companies where he had responsibilities in leadership and customer service programs. In addition to helping leaders of faith walk their talk in the marketplace, Phil developed a passion for bringing effective leadership principles into the church  when he served as member and chairman of his local church elder council for over ten years. Phil finds his great joy in his life-role relationships as husband, father and grandpa. In 1999, Ken and Phil co-founded Lead Like Jesus where he serves as Chief Content Officer. He is the co-author of five books: Lead Like Jesus: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of All Time, The Most Loving Place in Town: A Modern Day Parable for the Church, Leadership Development for Every Day of the Year and The Servant Leader with Ken Blanchard and Leadership by the Book with Ken Blanchard and Bill Hybels. Phil and his wife, Jane Kinnaird Hodges, live in southern California