It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts. – John Wooden
Happy Friday, Brew Nation!
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We often hear about the importance of bearing fruit in our lives, both personally and professionally. But what happens when the ground of our hearts is too hard to receive the seeds of growth? Hosea 10:12 provides a powerful image: “Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.”
This verse paints a vivid picture of a farmer preparing their field. They don’t just scatter seeds on hard, unyielding soil. They first must break up the ground, tilling it and softening it to create a receptive environment for growth. This analogy also speaks directly to our lives as leaders.
Imagine your life as that vast field. The seeds you sow represent your intentions, choices, and actions. But just as a farmer cannot expect a bountiful harvest from hard ground, we cannot expect to bear good fruit if our hearts are hardened by pride.
As a recent devotional that I read described, Hosea used this imagery to describe God’s people. They had sown seeds of sin and unrighteousness, making their hearts unreceptive to God’s commands. God, in His mercy, urged them to break up their unplowed ground – to soften their hearts and turn back to Him.
As I read this devotional, I likened the story to our lives as leaders in our homes and families. I believe this “unplowed ground” often represents pride in our lives, especially as leaders. Pride hardens our hearts, making us resistant to growth, learning, and genuine connection. It creates a barrier to bearing good fruit, especially in the context of leadership.
I think that pride manifests itself in many ways. Here are just a few that come to mind for me:
- The “Know-It-All” Attitude: Pride whispers that we have all the answers, dismissing the valuable insights and contributions of others. This stifles collaboration and prevents us from learning and growing. John Maxwell says the say you stop growing, you’re dying!
- The Credit Hog: Pride drives us to seek recognition for every success, neglecting to acknowledge the contributions of our team. As a result trust is undermined and morale is diminished.
- The “I’ve Arrived” Mentality: Pride convinces us that we’ve reached our full potential, blinding us to areas where we still need to grow. This complacency prevents us from continuing to develop our skills and leadership abilities.
Just as a recent devotional I read emphasizes, it’s not enough to simply sow seeds (or set goals and strategies as leaders); we must also break up the uncultivated ground. We must cultivate humility so that we can break up and even soften the soil of our hearts, allowing us to:
- Listen actively and learn from others: Humility opens us up to new perspectives and fosters a culture of collaboration and innovation.
- Give credit where it’s due: Humility recognizes the value of every team member and celebrates their contributions.
- Embrace continuous growth: Humility acknowledges that we are always learning and striving to improve.
The devotional also highlighted the importance of seeking the Lord. This “seeking” is like the early rain that softens the ground, preparing it for planting. For us as leaders, this seeking can involve personal development activities such as reading, faith development activities such as prayer and daily Bible reading, or even fitness related activities such as exercise and sleep.
It is through this seeking that we develop the humility necessary to bear good fruit.
We reap what we sow. If we sow seeds of pride, we will reap a harvest of stagnation, and ultimately, ineffective leadership. But if we cultivate humility and sow seeds of encouragement, inspiration, and personal development, we will reap a harvest of strong teams, empowered individuals, and positive impact that thrives when times are good or bad.
It’s never too late to begin breaking up the hard ground of pride in our lives. Like the farmer preparing their field, let’s commit to cultivating humility so that we can bear the abundant fruit of effective and impactful leadership.
Being successful as a leader requires intentional leadership habits. That’s why I developed the Ideal Week template – a tool that helps me identify disciplines and habits needed for success and allocate the necessary time. It guides you through planning your ideal week, ensuring you dedicate time to the activities that bring you closer to your goals.
Want to give it a try? Email me at [email protected] with the words ‘IDEAL WEEK’ in the subject line and I’ll send you a copy of the Ideal Week template complete with a sample to get you started!
- Quote of the week:
A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you. – C.S. Lewis
What You Need to Do:
Call to Action: This isn’t a one-time fix; cultivating humility is a daily practice. Ask yourself: Where am I holding on too tightly to my own way? Where can I be more open to feedback? Where can I give credit instead of taking it? Choose humility today. Choose to plow the ground of your heart, one day at a time, and watch the fruit of your leadership flourish. Let’s connect – email me at [email protected] with ‘HUMILITY’ in the subject line, and I’ll share some tips.
It’s an honor to be your trusted “Friday Coffee Guy”. Each week, I’m excited to provide yet another round of curated content that I’ve been reading, listening to, watching, or thinking over. The purpose of the Champions Brew is to inspire, equip and encourage you to become the uncommon leader you were designed to be. I am so grateful for your decision to invest a few moments with me! I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Champions Brew. If you did, I would appreciate it if you would share it with someone who might enjoy it as well and ask them to subscribe! I will make sure they automatically get this email every week.
Until next time, Go and Grow Champions!
P.S. – Are you a podcast fan? Maybe the Uncommon Leader podcast is for you. Are you interested in being a guest on the Uncommon Leader Podcast? Do you have a story to tell? Email me [email protected] and let’s have a chat and set something up!!
