Expectations: Perhaps the Worst Part of Being a Pastor (or Human)
LESSON SEVEN:Â Integrity eclipses image
KEY QUESTION:Â How can we grow our integrity behind the scenes?
As a teenage tennis player, my idol was Andre Agassi.
Agassi was the rockstar of professional tennis. I loved everything about him and his game.
When I needed new tennis shoes, I would only agree to wear his new Nike Air Tech Challenge. Remember these? White shoes with black trim and a hot pink swoosh.
As a super fan, I didn’t stop with his shoes. I had the entire fit. I wore his black denim shorts with hot pink spandex at every match. I paired the shorts with his diagonal black and hot pink fade Nike shirt. I had everything Agassi had… except the hair and game.
It turns out Agassi didn’t have the hair, either. He did initially, but losing your hair at an early age doesn’t play to the “image is everything” brand built on your physical image (and luscious hair!).
John Maxwell is right. Integrity eclipses image. The question is how can we stop living up to the image and expectations placed on us by others so we can experience personal integrity.
As a pastor for 15 years, I faced my share of expectations! In this NEW POST, I discuss my expectation journey and how I found personal integrity to be the me God created.
