“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'”
- Moses
It was always intended that we would lead. Over our families, businesses, organizations, and pretty much everything, according to Moses. We were all born to lead. That taking charge, initiating, and trying to negotiate everything going on around us, is actually holy. Or at least rooted in something holy.
At the heart of every great story is a…
...hero who decides to use their power for good and not evil.
...villain who decides to use their power for evil and not good.
Opposite sides of the same coin. Both emanating from power, desire, and the interest in having things go their way. The origin stories we are finding in some of the best superhero movies these days (Black Panther, Wonder Woman, & Batman Begins come to mind) tell us the reason why some would choose to use their power for good and some for evil.
All emanating from a beautiful, God-ordained desire to rule and subdue. To lead is one of the deepest and holiest of desires.
“Our desire reveals something about our design.
Our design reveals something about God’s intention.
That desire is the Imago Dei in you…
the image of God in you.”
In fact, that desire is the very nature of God in us. My Enneagram number is 8. I disliked that profile more than any others. Hoped it wasn’t mine.
“Eights are self-confident, strong, and assertive. Protective, resourceful, straight-talking, and decisive, but can also be ego-centric and domineering. Eights feel they must control their environment, especially people, sometimes becoming confrontational and intimidating. Eights typically have problems with their tempers and with allowing themselves to be vulnerable. At their Best: self-mastering, they use their strength to improve others' lives, becoming heroic, magnanimous, and inspiring.”
Donald Trump, Napoleon, Gandhi, and Mother Theresa are all considered to be eights. That gives you some kind of idea of how a person with this type of personality can use their power for good or evil, but it is the same for all of us.
We were all created to lead.
It is a deeply rooted desire in all of us.
We all use our power for both good and for evil.
Just being aware that I possess the potential to operate at both ends of that continuum is helpful. Sanctifying that desire, submitting to the Imago Dei inside of me, has helped in tipping the scale toward the good. But our enemy prowls like a roaring lion, whispering that all that power and desire should be all about me.
My prayer this day is that the power and desire in me will be guided by the one who gave it life in me.
Consider
- Do you know that you were created to lead?
- Did you know that your desire to control and direct things is actually rooted in something holy?
- Did you know that your power can be used both for good and evil?
- Which will you choose?