Reforming the Broken Heart of Leadership

Ninety-four floors up. Talk about the “wow factor”. I can see for miles on end. The stunning view widens my gaze to a panoramic spectacle of four different states from this vantage point. I am perched high atop the John Hancock Center in downtown Chicago overlooking beautiful, picturesque waters of Lake Michigan. I had just taken the fast elevator all the way to the top…a forty second experience that would rival most of our nation’s theme park rides. Once I arrived, I had to take a few seconds to adjust my altitude senses and to strike up the nerve to venture forward to the glass- enclosed observation deck. My perspective of the lake intensified from this lofty position where I could visualize the city, the tops of other sky-scrapers, the landscape below, the boats in the harbor, and even the tiny people on the street… all from a higher perspective. Earlier, on the lakeshore front, in the shadows of this monstrosity of steel and glass--literally one of the tallest buildings in the United States--my perspective impressed me very little. Still a vast body of water, I could see for only six to seven miles to the horizon on Lake Michigan--not a bad sight considering that most of what I see on a daily basis just south of Chicago consists of corn and bean fields (I agree, a certain beauty exists in the farmland too). After our journey to the top of the Hancock, and settling in on the shore’s edge for the afternoon at the North Avenue Beach, a little orange bucket--a basic necessity implemented to the design and build of castles made of sand--served as a utilitarian device to carry water to the “building site” there on the beach. Another perspective of the Great Lake caught my attention. Creating the perfect mixture of sand and water for our man-made Cinderellaesqe castle, I looked up at the expanse of water before me and had one of those epiphany moments. My orange bucket contained Lake Michigan too; the identical water I saw earlier from the observation deck. However, no real “wow factor” grabbed my emotions now. The water in my orange bucket did not appear to be overly special. Why? Well, my perspective severely diminished by looking into a bucket, a very small window, at a miniscule portion of the 22,300 square miles of Lake Michigan. I no longer possessed a sense of awe peering at the lake water in my orange bucket. Gazing at the water in this way did not motivate me to pause and bask in the glory of the present moment. This water I would eventually just pour out on the ground. This perception of Lake Michigan did not press me to consider the mystery of a Creator God who created this aquarium-like environment, as did my earlier vantage point. It occurred to me, while standing with my orange bucket on the lakeshore, that this is exactly how I had been viewing the entirety of my life’s ministry: being inordinately consumed by the tasks on my “to-do” list, and the burdensome expectations of others without having the ability to transcend them by seeing from a higher and wider perspective. If only I could do that, I might be able to sense the awe of God in the middle of the ministry muddle. Have you ever tried to visualize the enormity of all that God wants to do in your life and leadership through a small orange sand bucket? Can you imagine what it would be like if you were able to develop a keen sense of viewing your calling and the heart of your leadership from a perspective that was ninety-four floors up? Have you ever had a mountaintop experience? Have you bumped into the momentous, profound, and the engaging? All of us have encountered awe at one time or another, such as the birth of a child, the Grand Canyon, or even Niagara Falls. Actually, as human beings, we are pre-disposed to this sense of awe due to the fact that we are created in the image of God. One of the primal concepts of van Kaam and Muto’s Formative Spirituality is “the disposition of awe.” By cultivating a disposition of awe, we create openness to the mystery of God in the everydayness of our life’s circumstances. A disposition is something to which we are inclined--something that seems second nature to us. A disposition is a character trait, a tendency, or a temperament that is part of our natural behavior. Some people are disposed to an attitude of joy. Others are disposed to depression or fear. Again, in some way, we all are disposed to “awe” due to the fact that we are created in the image of an awe-inspiring God. However, this disposition needs cultivated and energized. Perhaps the awe disposition relates to what Rudolf Otto calls the “wholly other”. He indicates, In light of our bent toward rationalism, a dimension exists that is “quite beyond the sphere of the usual, the intelligible, and the familiar.” The disposition of awe is an attitude of preparedness to experience something beyond the tangible, an attitude of surrender to God’s artistic creativity, and an attitude of silent pondering that superintends a hushed moment over our temporary plans, our pressing work, and our personal performance. The image of God within us presupposes this sense of mystery in order that we might acknowledge the Creator God for all that He is and all that He does. The disposition of awe serves as a foundational disposition that energizes other valuable attitudes and life habits. For example, we walk into a cathedral and are moved to reverence as we observe the candles that are lit, representing the prayers of the congregation, the arches in the ceiling that stretch skyward, and the beautiful artwork and statuary. A sense of worship sweeps over us. What stirred us to reverence? The built-in capacity to give awe-filled attention to this moment stirred us to reverence. We meet an elderly saint in the nursing home and listen to how the goodness of God has accompanied her life for so many years and we feel a sincere respect for this dear one who has lived a godly life. What stimulates our hearts toward respect? The disposition of awe activates the attitude of respect within us. We stand on the seashore, breathe in the salty air and gaze into the horizon feeling the freedom of abandonment to every care in the world--again, the awe disposition at work in the core of our being. Our ability to view life and ministry from a higher sphere can influence our attitude while in the midst of everyday situations. In my own personal ministry journey, I know I would have done some things differently or perhaps responded with a different attitude had I paused and taken a view from a higher place.