“It was the most relaxing day of my life when I resigned as General Manager of the universe.” (Rick Warren)
Sometimes it happens because the leader is a control freak actually believing they are GM of the universe. Most often it's because the leader has accepted responsibility for so long and in ways so wide, they don’t realize they’ve taken God’s job description away from Him. So, in the spirit of Jeff Foxworthy, take this test to see if it’s time to resign.
If you are contemplating your future based upon figuring out what other people are thinking, resign as GM of the universe. You do not have the ability to do this and neither did your mother. Stop it. That’s not discernment, it’s guessing with a large ego.
If you are attempting to get people to do certain things or act a certain way, resign as GM of the universe. The strings are imaginary, the puppets will eventually turn on you, and they might make a creepy movie about it terrifying children for decades to come. Do what you know to be right and leave the results with God.
If you are worrying about things you can do nothing about, resign as GM of the universe. It’s not the things you can’t control you’re responsible for.
If your self-worth is based upon what others think of you, resign as GM of the universe. They actually aren’t thinking about you that much. There are far too many people and not enough of you to stay on the campaign trail even if they were. It's not we don't care about what people think, it's that we can't be driven by it.
If you are continually feeling guilty because you can’t be in more than one place at a time, resign as GM of the universe. You’ll end up not even being in one place at one time, much less two.
If your peace of mind is subject to the reality certain people understand certain things, resign as GM of the universe. They don’t “have to” understand anything and will go to great lengths to prove it. Trust the people around you draw their conclusions about you on who they believe your really are, not on your explanation of every action or inaction.
If you’re in bondage to the past, overwhelmed in the present, or afraid of the future, resign as GM of the universe. You don’t own those, God does. He has the power to redeem and restore, and He will if you let him. You do not have the power, so lay the gavel down.
When my kids were little, they had a toy hammer with a squeaker in the soft plastic head. I can still hear the squeak as the hammer pounded. Remember it? It was a cute toy which became irritating very quickly. A person in charge in our culture often holds a gavel. By pounding it they call a meeting to order, seek to control chaos in the room, or pronounce an end to whatever discussion is taking place.
You and I don’t hold the gavel for the universe; never have, never will. The plastic hammer we hold is… plastic; lay it down. The noise is really irritating and the fact we pound it changes nothing. Resign as GM of the universe and allow God to be God in yours.
Leader you care. What a beautiful thing. You're willing to accept responsibility for your actions. This is how the world gets changed. The fact you've taken time to read this blog says you care about the people you lead. The weight of the trust placed on your shoulders is heavy and I commend you for being willing to carry the burden of leadership. However, here's the thing; you might be carrying more than your share of the load.
A reality I want you to consider is you are doing better than you think you are. God's got this.
Lay down the gavel, resign as GM of the universe, and soak in Matthew 11:25-30.
Peace.
