Love – Page 17 – Mark Joseph Ministries

Leadership, leadership, leadership…it’s all about leadership. Last week we talked about the critical role of leaders and their impact on organizations. We also discussed my transition as a leader from being “me” to “other” focused. I thought it would be helpful to discuss how that transition took place.

Prior to my conversion, which I mentioned in last week’s blog, I was very much motivated by success for success sake. Based on my belief system, I thought it spoke to my worth as a person, believing I needed to succeed to be loved. I was very busy trying to establish prominence, obtain numerous possessions, and experience pleasure in my life. I had a big ego. It was all about me.

Being a student of leadership, even back then, I had read numerous books. But I still didn’t get it. I’m not proud to say that I used to view my employees as “necessary evils”, there to help me achieve my goals.

Note…If you’re interested in why I was the way I was, you can reference my past blogs athttps://markjosephministries.com/blog/ or get my book, Overwhelming Pursuit: Stop Chasing Your Life and Live, at https://markjosephministries.com/book/.

Pre-conversion my “who” was my “do”. My “role” was my “identity”. The better my business was doing, the better I was doing. I felt loved, accepted, and respected based on my accomplishments. Post-conversion that all changed. I came to understand my identity as a child of God, loved unconditionally by Him and His Son Jesus Christ, made with special gifts and talents, put on this earth for a specific purpose.

I went through a process of healing my wounds, forgiving myself and others, and eliminating the resentments from my life. Then surrounding myself with only those who would help me in being the very best, I began to learn how to live the life God called me to. In referencing Scripture, specifically Jeremiah 1:5 and 29:11, as well as John 10:10, I found that I (we) am made for Greatness. The fact is that:

God conceived of each of us thousands of years ago.
He made us in his image and likeness.
He doesn’t make junk, nor mistakes. We’re all a 10.
God loves us more than we’ll ever know, no matter what we’ve ever done.

Given His love, He guides us in following His Will, to use our God given gifts to do great things…and to be happy. BTW, there’s no other way to achieve true happiness (peace, joy, and fulfillment). No longer concerned with the views of others about me…because it just doesn’t matter, I can now do those things which truly make me happy. I can be me.

Only once that transition was made could I become the leader that I am today. It’s not about me, but the people I have the honor to work with. It’s my deepest desire that they do very well in life, personally and professionally. And I know doing the very best they can do means living a life in Christ. That doesn’t mean I beat them over the head with a Bible, but instead love them for their “who”, not their “do”, their “identity” instead of their “role”.

It’s only in helping them be their best that our organization can be its best. Happy and fulfilled people make enthused and effective employees. And as stated last week, that only comes from contribution and ownership, neither of which are possible without the right leadership.

As always, please email me with questions or comments at Mark@MarkJosephMinistries.com.

God Bless you on your Path to Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!

Mark Joseph

Have you ever encountered people who are dealing with things that appear to be incredibly challenging and instead of being overwhelmed, they are joyful? It might be a disaster that they’re facing or the everyday drudgery of life. Regardless they always have smiles on their faces and in their hearts. You look at them and think to yourself, “I want some of that”.

I’ve certainly seen people like this in the U.S., but not nearly to the degree that I did during a recent experience I had in Haiti. I had the privilege of being on a mission trip with Life Teen, the largest Catholic youth ministry organization in the world. For a week, 16 of us from the U.S. lived on Life Teen’s Mission Base, in the Diocese of Anse-a- Veau et Miragoane.

Culture Shock

Having never gone camping in my life, the living conditions were tougher than anything that I had ever endured. Ten men slept in one room, with a concrete floor, and the occasional critter visiting. We slept with nets over us to protect us from mosquitos. We walked to another building to use the restroom, which was more like an outhouse. With no hot water, showers were very cold and very quick. We had electricity from 5-10PM daily, only because the base was fortunate enough to have a generator.

Here’s the thing, compared to how most Haitians live, we/I had nothing to complain about. Typical houses are incredibly small, maybe 2-3 rooms, with no plumbing (so no water supply, no showers, no toilets), no electricity, and no gas.

In Haiti, there is a total lack of infrastructure, the most glaring example of which is that there is no garbage collection. Something we take for granted in the U.S., no one picks up the trash and there’s nowhere to dispose of it, so it’s just everywhere. And I mean everywhere.

Then given that there’s no electricity or gas, everything is cooked using open flame, the fuel of which is Haitian made charcoal. That charcoal creates a smell in the country that you encounter immediately upon exiting the airport and doesn’t depart from you until you leave the country. The odor was so strong that it overpowered any smell of garbage.

The poverty is so dramatic that it is overwhelming. I was literally in shock the first three days I was in Haiti, pondering how we possibly allow our fellow man to live like this. I saw things that I had never seen before, things that I just can’t erase from my eyes.

Simple but Joyfull

So with all that as a backdrop, I’ve never encountered more joy filled people in my life. Everyone, and I mean everyone, had big smiles on their faces and were super, super friendly. In addition, you ought to see how the Haitians worship our Lord.

As most of us have experienced, Churches in the U.S. are rather lethargic, with very few singing. In contrast, not only do the Haitians sing at the top of their lungs, but also dance to worship music. They are both exuberant and very reverent. It is incredible to experience.

In the midst of the extreme, awful poverty that they live in, why do you think the above is the way it is? My guess is twofold:

The Haitians don’t have near the distractions that we do. Life is simple and to many of them life is good, even in the midst of what they face daily.
The Haitians know the love of the Lord, the peace of Christ, in a way that many of us in the U.S. don’t. As such, they know what’s really important. They have peace and they have joy.

We live in a culture in the U.S. that loves things and uses people. I think we could learn a lesson from the Haitians in that we are called to use things and love people. Maybe then we could experience their joy.

My God Bless you on your journey of Peace, Joy, and Fulfillment!!!

Mark Joseph

What do you think? Please share your comments with me at
mark@markjosephministries.com.

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