"You Can't Send a Duck to Eagle School"

"You Can't Send a Duck to Eagle School" It's true. While I was in Seattle last week, someone handed me a copy of this book on basic leadership principles. It's written by a guy named Mac Anderson. It's a handy little book that got me asking the question, "What the heck does the title mean?"

Here's the answer in the author's words:
"You can't teach someone to smile, you can't teach someone to want to serve, you can't teach personality. What we can do...is hire people who have those qualities and we can then teach them about our products and teach them our culture."

I got to thinking about how that applies to my role as the shepherd of Ridgeview. Now, I don't have to "hire" the people who come into the doors of our fellowship. But I do have the challenge of helping them find their sweet spot and to gain a passion for serving the body. So one of the important questions I must ask myself frequently is, "What are the gifts of this person? Am I asking a duck to be an eagle?"

You see both are very beautiful animals. Each is unique. Each gifted by God to have special "talents" and characteristics. Try as I might, I can't make a duck be an eagle. Nor should I want to try. I desire to help you find your place to express who you are to the fullest extent. But the desire to serve is something that comes from you, not from me. I pray that you and I understand who are, what we are gifted to do and that we pursue that with all of our hearts as we serve Christ and His bride.