Day 1: You Can't Drown
Updated: Sep 4
You cannot drown in the thing you were ordained for.
You are not an accident. You are not a mistake. The waters you are in right now are not a surprise to the One who called you. God knew the depth, the current, and the temperature before you ever stepped in. He did not call you to the water just to watch you go under. Take a breath today and let this truth settle deep into your spirit: you were made for this. Not in your own strength, but in His. The same God who spoke to the waves is speaking over your life. You are not drowning. You are being held.
The enemy wants you to believe that you are sinking beyond rescue. He whispers lies in the darkness: "You are a hypocrite. You are worthless. Everybody would leave if they knew the real you." And if you do not have someone speaking truth into your life, those lies will begin to sound like the truth. But the truth is that you are floating in the palm of His hand. He has not abandoned you. He has not forgotten you. You are His, and He is yours. Rest in that today.
The Weight You Were Never Meant to Carry
I have always said that, as leaders, we should have visions big enough for other people's dreams to be realized within them. That is a good thing. A God-sized vision should create space for others to flourish. But on the other hand, it is the leader's responsibility to inspire, motivate, and encourage others to dream. It is not your job to fulfill everyone's personal dream. Our assignment is to keep the main thing the main thing. When you make decisions based on the betterment of the movement, someone is automatically going to be disappointed. The more successful you are, the more people you will disappoint. That is not cynicism; it is mathematics. You cannot move an organization forward without leaving some personal preferences behind.
People who started with you in one phase of your church, organization, or company will often feel that their early commitment secures their seat of prominence in the organization's present and future, even if they lack the skill set needed for where you are going. Their loyalty in the past becomes entitlement in their minds. And here is the hard truth that every leader must swallow: someone's true loyalty should never rob you of sober decision-making. Someone helping you should never put you in prison. You can be grateful without being manipulated. You can honor their contribution without handing them the steering wheel.
The Reality of the Water
The good news is that drowning is not your destiny. You can learn to recognize the currents that pull you under. You can learn to throw a lifeline instead of jumping in after every crisis. You can learn to stand up in water that you thought was over your head. You can learn to survive the contradiction between what you preach and what you are still practicing. You can learn to lead without being consumed by the loneliness of the assignment.
God did not call you to the water just to watch you go under. He did not assign you to save others while neglecting the very soul He gave you. If He has called you, He has also equipped you. And if He has equipped you, He has also provided for you. But somewhere along the way, many of us have picked up some dangerous habits. We have taken on weights that were never ours to carry. We have confused our assignment with our identity. We have jumped into waters that wisdom told us to avoid. And as a result, lifeguards are drowning.
A lifeguard drowning sounds like a contradiction. We assume the lifeguard is the strongest swimmer on the beach. We assume they are immune to the danger they are trained to prevent. But the reality is that lifeguards can drown. And when they do, it is often because they ignored the very principles they were taught. They got distracted. They swam beyond their capacity. They refused to call for backup. They stayed in the water too long. They failed to take off the uniform and rest.
A Word for the Weary
If you are reading this and you feel like you are going under, I want you to hear this: you are not too far gone. You are not beyond the reach of grace. The storm may be raging, but He is right there. Cry out. Grab hold. He is not far. The moment you feel yourself going under, His hand is already extended. You do not have to swim your way back to Him. You just have to cry out and grab hold.
The Lord said through Isaiah, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you" (Isaiah 43:2, ESV). Notice what God does not say. He does not promise there will be no waters. He does not promise there will be no rivers. He does not promise there will be no obstacles. He simply promises that the waters will not have the final say. He promises His presence. And His presence is enough.
So take a deep breath. It is time to stop drowning. It is time to stand up. It is time to remember who called you to these waters in the first place.
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