The importance of awareness
Throughout the Bible, God often encourages His people to embody awareness. It is easy for a leader to miss out on crucial opportunities to enhance the business because they are not paying attention to the signs of the times. One fatal flaw for companies and business leaders is being too busy to pause and consider what changes need to be made in order to seize a new opportunity. Every leader has experienced the regret of missing out on something because they did not read the signs of what was coming.
A leader’s biggest regret can be missing a clearly identifiable trend or failing to make a single change that would have been essential to making a key pivot or decision. In John 4, Jesus is teaching His disciples about the importance of spiritual awareness. Jesus has just had a conversation with the woman at the well. The woman left, and the disciples believed that nothing further would result from this interaction. Jesus knew better. He was aware the woman would be going into town to tell everyone about the Messiah she had just met. Not surprisingly—at least to Jesus—the crowd left the city to come to meet Him. Listen to His words to His disciples:
“Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.” —John 4:35–36
As the crowd starts across the field, Jesus encourages His disciples to “open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” The disciples had not been expecting a harvest or a movement in the fields and thus were not even aware the crowds were coming. That is, until Jesus tells them to open their eyes. They would have missed this moment but for a mentor and teacher who shows them the way to awareness.
Leaders who wish to lead as Jesus led must open their eyes to the opportunities that Jesus provides. Open eyes lead to awareness, and awareness can lead to action. In verse 36 of John 4, Jesus continues this thought about awareness as He concludes by explaining what happens because of an aware leader. In this verse, Jesus states that “the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.” The end result of an aware leader is reaping an eternal harvest. When a Well Done leader is sensitive to what God is doing in their world, they can seize spiritual opportunities that have a kingdom impact so they can harvest a crop for eternal life.
When a leader is sensitive to what God is doing in their world, they can seize spiritual opportunities that have a kingdom impact so they can harvest a crop for eternal life.
Jesus teaches His disciples this important lesson about awareness because He doesn’t want them to miss out on what He is doing. He wants them to appreciate how they can be a part of this by opening their eyes. God is always at work, and He is working to bring about good fruit in the world if only His people would open their eyes and see. Leaders need to pray the prayer of Elisha, who, when faced with a great enemy, prayed to the Lord for His servant to see God’s power.
The story from 2 Kings 6:16-18 reads: “‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, ‘Strike this army with blindness.’ So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.”
That day the enemy was defeated because of their blindness. Elisha and his servant were saved because they could see the vast army of the Lord. Every leader should pray daily, Open my eyes, Lord, so that I may see.
Photo source: istock
 | Ken Gosnell is CEO and Servant Leader of CXP (CEO Experience). CXP is a premier coaching and executive roundtable business that serves Christian CEOs in Washington DC, Maryland and Florida. Ken serves leaders by helping them and their teams to have great experiences that both transform the leader and their organizations to go further faster. Learn More » |
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