Reviving the Vision

by Dr. Paul Chappell

"So the king returned, and came to Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan. And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David. And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went over Jordan before the king. And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king's household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was come over Jordan."

2 Samuel 19:15-18

Be more committed to your vision than to the wrongs that were done.

Andrew Carnegie was at one time the wealthiest men in America. He moved to America from his native land Scotland as a young boy and sustained himself through a series of odd jobs as he grew older. He never had plans to become a multi-millionaire, yet through hard work he found himself as the largest steel manufacturer in America.

At one time it was noted that Carnegie had forty-three millionaires working for him. While certainly impressive in today's standards, in his time, a million dollars could be roughly translated to fifty million dollars today. His staff was an impressive one.

A reporter caught wind of this fact and interviewed Carnegie on his "accomplishment." The reporter asked how he had hired so many millionaires and Carnegie quickly corrected her, "Those men had not been millionaires when they started working for me but had become millionaires as a result." The reporter continued, "How did you develop these men to be so valuable to you that you have paid them this much money?" Carnegie quipped, "Men are developed the same way gold is mined. When gold is mined, several tons of dirt must be moved to get an ounce of gold; but one doesn't go into the mine looking for dirt-one goes in looking for the gold."

Successful leaders are willing to push aside some flaws while mining for gold as they develop others. Some of the greatest opportunities to do this come when things go wrong.

As leaders, how do we react when things go wrong? Notice David's response after some of the people abandoned him and followed Absalom, "So the king returned, and came to Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan. And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David."

Many of these tribes had betrayed David, yet he put aside their wrong and focused on the goal ahead. He reinforced their commitment to him and to the bigger cause. He revived the vision.

As a leader (and simply as a human being), working with others will sometimes bring strife. Feelings will be hurt, miscommunication will spark hostility, and emotions will run high. It's natural, yet it's one that often sidelines endeavors.

How did David handle the problem at hand? He refused to live in the past (remember past mistakes), called others together (rebuilding camaraderie), and reinforced the ultimate goal (reviving the vision). When you face a tough situation or break down with those around you, follow the same pattern. Don't allow strife to sideline your efforts and divert you from your ultimate goal. When working with other Christians, reinforce the vision of glorifying God, seeing others saved, and helping others grow closer to God. Be more committed to your vision than to the wrongs that were done.