Sitting at Jesus' Feet

This past week we’ve been down at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit, which means in addition to tons of activity and laughter with family and friends who live in the Chicago area, there was a boatload of dynamic speakers sharing their insights regarding effective leadership practices.
 
The day before the Summit started, in my devotional time I read the account of Jesus visiting the home of Mary and Martha. You remember . . . Mary sits at Jesus’ feet (the better choice) while Martha does all the work to cook the pot roast and make people feel welcome. What God impressed upon me at this reading was the phrase “sat at Jesus’ feet.” I felt like I was being reminded, as I embarked on two days of compelling talks from passionate, confident speakers, to be sure to sit at JESUS' feet. 
 
I’m the type that gets really excited by new ideas and am convinced we should do something radical in response. Now. Fast. I needed this important reminder that a high value for leaders needs to be discernment. Paul didn’t say "Follow me.” He said “Follow me as I follow Christ."
 
So, as fantastic as this Summit was, and as many notes as I have, I’m spending some time now prayerfully going over them and processing. Asking, "Lord what is from YOU? Of all these ideas, which are consistent with the character of Jesus?” 1 John 4:1 reminds us to “Test the spirits.” I picture someone panning for gold, swirling around the cloudy water looking, testing for the real thing . . . the gold which is valuable, but can be elusive and counterfeited with “fools’ gold.” 
 
These days, whether it's the Leadership Summit or the internet, blogs, podcasts, books, and articles, we're inundated with the "noise" of exciting ideas. What are you doing to get quiet and intentional enough to hear the quiet, true whispers of God?

Laura Crosby

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