This is part 5 of a 6-part series on the Christian Mid-life leader
There are some things that are much clearer to me as I reflect on my journey through mid-life. I witness these same reflections in the lives of many business leaders that I have come alongside in their mid-life years.
One of those realities is a weighted load that is burdening their soul. This “soul load” is like a wagon that has accumulated many items over time.
The challenge with the “soul-loaded” wagon is that you and I have hitched ourselves to it. We are “tied” to it.
Merriam-Webster defines “hitched my wagon” like this… “To rely on (someone or something) for success.” For example; “The team has hitched its wagon to its star pitcher”.
The “soul-loaded” wagon represents the many expectations we have on how we thought life would be or should have been. The accumulation of the many disappointments, times of deep discouragement, and, perhaps, despair pile onto our “soul wagon”. The reality of our own brokenness, and that of those around us, piles high and heavy. The impact of a world bent on doing its own thing, moving far from God, can increase the load. The evil one is also keen to add to our load with lying taunts of thoughts and expectations regarding our lives. The net effect is a “loaded soul”.
The remedy….
“Unhitch Your Wagon
& Pull Free!”
Whether you are anticipating going through mid-life or are on the other side, there are remedies to help us learn how to “unhitch our wagons”. The apostle Paul invites us this way:
“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! - Philippians 3:7-11 NLT
Paul knew that the secret to living free was to “unhitch his wagon”... to unhitch his soul from the things of this world. He was clear that his status as a religious leader, teacher, and zealot for his faith, his disciples, were NOTHING compared to the beauty of Jesus and the calling on his one and only life. Paul experienced freedom because he hitched his identity, his purpose, and priorities to the person of Jesus Christ.
As business leaders, like Paul, we are called by the One who made us. We are called to “unhitch our soul wagons” from the things that we were never meant to carry.
What things might you have “hitched your wagon” to?
- The success of your business…
- Your reputation…
- Your core relationships…
- Your money…
- Your possessions…
- Your…
Jesus’ calling to those of us looking to “unhitch” from the world is to “hitch” ourselves to Him. Hear His invitation in these compelling words…
The reality of mid-life is that it provides a “diagnostic” of where we may have “hitched” our soul to….things that were never meant to satisfy the deepest parts of ourselves.
We need to “unhitch our souls” for our own sake…for our teams…for our families…for our communities.
Leader…are you “unhitched”?
Here’s an invitation…come join us at our Mid-Life Leaders’ Getaway. Come learn and be encouraged by business leaders similar to you, leaders who don’t want to settle for less than what Christ has for them.
