Top o’ the Mornin’ to Ya!
TLDR:
You don’t need a new calling to serve God’s kingdom – just bring a Kingdom mindset to the roles you already have.
What?
There was a time in my life when I was only one thing – a ski racing coach. That was my entire identity, day in and day out. I had no other sense of self. I kind of believed in Christ, kind of prayed, but didn’t have relationships outside my profession. My work WAS my identity. I had secret sins and struggles with sexual addiction that I kept hidden behind that single identity. When I went into recovery, that identity was stripped from me. It was devastating but also prepared me to become a Kingdom Family Leader. During and after that season, I read “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” multiple times. My favorite exercise from that book is “Roles and Goals” – identifying five to eight different roles in your life with a goal for each. Not just one identity like “I’m only a ski coach,” but recognizing you’re a husband, father, friend, leader, servant, coach, businessman – multiple roles that make up who you are.
Why?
I’m sharing this because most Christian men think serving God’s kingdom means abandoning their current life for some special calling. They think, “I already do all this stuff – how is that serving His Kingdom?” But here’s what I discovered, and what most folks discover in Kingdom Family Leader coaching and masterminds: wherever you are is where you’re supposed to be. You don’t need to quit your job and become a missionary. You don’t need some dramatic life change. The third pillar of the Kingdom Family Leader path – Serve His Kingdom – starts right where you are, with the roles you already have. The breakthrough comes when you realize you can serve God’s kingdom as a businessman, as a father, as a community leader, in whatever roles you currently fill.
Lesson:
Serving His Kingdom doesn’t require doing something new – it requires doing what you’re already doing with a Kingdom mindset. “Whatever you do, do it as to the Lord and not unto men.” The transformation happens when you shift from a money mindset, a people-pleasing mindset, an impressing-others mindset to a Kingdom mindset in all your existing roles. When your identity is wrapped up in just one thing, you’re vulnerable. One setback, one failure, one change can destroy everything. But when you recognize your multiple roles and approach each with Kingdom purpose, you become resilient and effective. Take your current roles – parent, spouse, professional, friend, community member – and apply Kingdom thinking to each one. How can you serve God in your vocation? How can you advance His kingdom as a father? How can you reflect Christ in your friendships? You don’t need a different thing; you need to do your current things in a different way. This is the beauty of the Kingdom Family Leader path: God uses you right where you are. Your workplace becomes your mission field. Your family becomes your first ministry. Your community involvement becomes Kingdom service. Same roles, same activities, completely different purpose and impact.
Apply:
Write down 5-8 roles you currently have (father, husband, employee, friend, etc.). For each role, write one way you could shift from a worldly mindset to a Kingdom mindset this week. Pick one role and implement that Kingdom approach today.
You be blessed!
