To have humility is to experience reality

I think this may be my last post on Mark Sayers's book 'A Non-Anxious Presence.'

Chapter 12 on Gaining A Heavenly Orientation is so good. I want share a few bits at least, and  a couple others...

Sayers told of John Boyd, and his famous strategy tool 'the OODA loop' (Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act). The key difference from older strategies being Orientation. "Proper orientation connects us with the reality of our environment rather than what we think our environment is." 

Julie Galef calls this the scout mindset, which contrasts the solder mindset. The solder appears on the battlefield ready to fight. The scout, however, appears with an open mind; first observing the lay of the land.

Swedish diplomat Dag Hammarskjold is where the title to this post came from: "...to have humility is to experience reality." Or, as Sayers said, "Orientation is required. Yet orientation requires humility, for when we understand our weakness, it enables us to trust fully in God's strength."

Before the prophet Samuel could gain direction from God's voice, he first had to learn to hear God's voice. THIS, according the Sayers, is the missing component for many leaders today! 

The line in this chapter I absolutely loved - and intended to make the focus today - is this gem:

"Waiting on the Lord, seeking His voice, is an act of revolutionary stillness."

 That right there, my friends, is where I'm hanging my hat. I think that is IT. While not a part of this book, one thing I thing I always admired about George Bush II, which he took a load of crap for, was his initial response to the events of 9/11. People have roasted him over coals for years because he... paused. Rather than an immediate reaction, he first asked to have a moment to himself. Now, I don't know exactly what he did with that moment - probably only he does - but I always saw it as an act of humility. Whether he prayed, called his dad, or whatever... it was acknowledging that this was something too big for him alone to answer in a flash. I have always respected that. I think we need more of that.

Anyway, back to the book... Jumping into the final chapter (14), Sayers presents King David as an example for leadership. Beginning on p.175:

"David is not in the wilderness taking ground. Nor is he trying to find himself as he expands the frontiers of civilization in a heroic quest. David is not an explorer. David is a shepherd. In the shepherd, we find a biblical model of leadership, a non-anxious presence, which is not dependent on reserves of personal power but on the presence of God - encountered in the wild places."

 Again, this book seems a perfect fit in these current crazy times. Everyone seems intent on kissing the ring and/or grabbing for power... Yet, as Sayers says on the last page...

"As we move into the gray zone, it is the weak to whom the eyes of the Western church must look to learn."

So, I guess the ultimate question is: who will you align yourself with?

Worldly power and Godly power look quite different.