For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path. | Proverbs 2:6–9
One of the battles that every person faces is between pragmatism and faithfulness. This dichotomy is heightened for those who are making decisions for more than just themselves; leaders make hundreds of decisions in which they must navigate the potential conflict between doing what is righteous and/or what works. I often describe this as the difference between thinking in terms of: ends or means.
To make decisions based on ends means having an idea of where you are going and then reverse-engineering the steps to get there. This is the way most type-A people operate, because it gives priority to goal-setting and values the problem-solving skills that most leaders view as their strength. The benefit of this way of thinking is that a lot gets done; the problem is the cost. Many have been chewed up and spit out as the means to an end.
To make decisions based on the means is to focus on the morality of the decision. Not the consequences of the decision as much as: what would be most in line with God’s wisdom and would be most glorifying to Him? The benefit of this is that it keeps you reliant on God; the shortcoming is that it seems like a slow and tedious way to get anything done. Many leaders start with a desire to be means-motivated, but drift toward pragmatics when things don’t go as expected.
As a pastor, you can guess which one of these I believe to be true; you can also imagine that this is an impossible standard to hold someone who is not a Christian to. I want to show you why you should want every leader, Christian or not, to lead in in a way that is means focused-rather than ends-directed.
First, God has set this world to function in a specific way and directs us to live in a way that will be the most beneficial. This means that God’s way, His end, is always going to be best. To trust this, means a leader must be humble enough to embrace limitations. Specifically, no matter how smart you are, you can’t actually manifest your ends without numerous other unforeseen consequences. God’s way assumes all of the variables because it comes from an omnipotent God.
Second, a means-focused approach allows a leader to focus on what is in front of them. I am a proponent for long-term thinking, but often, people miss the decision right in front of them because they are trying to think five steps down the road. We worry about things that we cannot control, and try to plan for them, rather than actually answering the present question (this can also cause a paralysis in decision-making). One of the principles that I learned from my friends in the recovery community serves well here:
We earnestly pray for the right ideal, for guidance in each questionable situation, for sanity, and for the strength to do the right thing.
Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
This is called doing the next right thing. If leaders took the time to do the next right thing, rather than over-assuming their own ability to control outcomes, far less people would be overlooked.
Third, one of the great burdens on leaders is the issue of responsibility. This weight includes both the fact that leaders have to make hard decisions, but also they have to live with the consequences of the decisions they have made. When they focus on the means, rather than the ends, both of these weights diminish. Leaders can let go of the feeling of failure that comes with continually falling short of an ideal. They also get move forward with a clear conscience, knowing that while everyone make mistakes, they did the best they could in the moment.
Focusing on the means rather than the ends:
1. places a leader’s trust in He who is: guarding the paths of justice.
2. focuses decision-making on that which human leaders can control.
3. takes the ultimate burdens away from the authorities and allows them to act in confidence.
To trust in the Lord’s wisdom is not to deny that earthly leaders have anything to offer, but they do best when they use their skills and ability to accomplish what God has given them to do, rather than following their own lead. There is one final promise to those who lean into God’s wisdom and trust in His ways:
Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path.
The chaotic nature of the world around us makes problems seem more and more unsolvable, but those who press into God’s means will be able to see with more and more clarity. Doing what is simply right will give them a hope far beyond any goal and end they may be able to imagine on their own. Leadership becomes about something far more than accomplishing some simple task; it is part of God’s great plan to bring everything under His lordship. In His infinite wisdom, He has called us to play a part in that:
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. | Ephesians 3:20–21