A word from heaven.

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Shadow Mission

The topic of Shadow mission was famously bought up by John Ortberg. I was personally very touched by it cause the it just hits the nail on head. Something that many leaders, young or old, experienced or not, needs to put themselves back on the correct track. Here goes.

We all have fears. Some of us have a fear of failure. Some fear disappointment. Some fear criticism. Especially when these things happen to leaders, it sometimes gets amplified and things can get messy. Some of us fear being looked down by peers, other fear losing out to peers as they serve God and even others fear not looking good in front of the person you like. These fears come to people here and there and each one have their own set of fears.

We may be able to even realize these fears or conceptualize these fears in our lives. They may come from the deepest part of our heart. And it is these that leads eventually to what we call a shadow mission. Something that is selfish, dark and personal. This shadow missions can happen to people, companies, countries, to anyone.

The shadow mission is a mission that stems from wrong motives, but is artfully hidden behind the veil of the real mission. People won't realized it until its full blown effect comes into play. For example, i may be leading NS group, but my shadow mission can be to self actulize. For example, i may be signing up to be a church staff, but my shadow mission can be to earn the big bucks from the "church industry".

Even as people choose to follow God's given mission, these shadow missions stay on the side lines ready to take over from the real mission at the click of a finger. You see, shadow missions are seldom 180 degrees away from the real mission. It may just be 10 degrees off the actual mission. For example, if there is this girl i am interested in and she needs a ride home and i want to impress her. I may offer to send her entire cg home as a legitimate reason for me to send her home. That is a shadow mission that is just 10 degrees off the actual mission .And it is just an example, so no need to try to remember if u sat in my car b4. i dun struggle in this shadow mission. at least not yet. hahaa.

Are there hidden agendas in our lives. Missions that is there in the heart but you know that it should not be there?

As leaders, especially for those who have been leading the same portfolio for some time already. always look into the ministry and ask if it is on the right track or if it has been overtaken by another shadow mission? For example, is the group still focused on holistic growth, or have our shadow mission of winning the best of the best for this year taken over. its just an example.

Never allow the shadow mission to take over your real mission. it will lead to destruction. Be brutally honest with yourself when it comes to getting rid of the shadow mission. The real mission is already massive enough for you not to need the shadow mission. Ensure that the real mission dominates and advances the kingdom of God.

Always allow someone to speak into your life about shadow mission. Here are some questions for you.

Is there anybody you are trying to impress besides God? It can be your own people, it can be your peers, it can be a girl/guy you like, it can be your boss etc.

Is there any tinge of contamination in our real mission? It can come in the form of more tangible things like results, actions, speech etc. Or it can be non tangible like motive and emotions.

The things that you struggle with consistently will probably show you the way to your shadow mission. what can it be?

That is all from me. See ya!

Regards,

jie hui

Labels: Leadership

The kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.

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Tuesday, July 01, 2008