The following line from this past weekend's Gospel spoke to my heart and convicted me, "You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do" (Mark 8:33).
Jesus's message to Peter and the disciples encourages all of us to ensure our thoughts align with the mind and will of God.
As I heard that line from Christ proclaimed last weekend, my heart stirred.
How often do I think that my efforts depend entirely on me? How many times do I get discouraged unnecessarily? How often do I harbor a grudge instead of offering forgiveness? How frequently do I default to hatred as opposed to love? Despair instead of hope? A dead-end instead of endless possibilities? Death instead of life?
As branches aligned to the true Vine, we must become ever more aware of the presence, promptings, and power of the Holy Spirit within and around us. We must fight to believe our beliefs and doubt our doubts. Too often we doubt our beliefs - does that make them doubts? - instead of holding fast to them in moments of stress and despair.
We must think as God does.
We must remember, "God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:7).
In addition to aligning our minds and hearts and wills to those of God, we must also consider the coherence between and among our schools' missions, values, words and actions. What parts of our schools align to these sources of life and which ones are disconnected? What components of our schools fail the celery test?
Which ones, unfortunately, have survived as Monkey Paradigms, vestiges of days gone by, antiquated and stale traditions, practices performed by those with perceived power?
As we check our own thoughts and behaviors so that they align with God, we must also check the philosophies and practices of our organizations so that they align with our missions, beliefs, and values.
Alignment signals that all of the parts of ourselves and our organizations experience proper positioning in relation to each other so that everything moves in the same direction. A misaligned vehicle veers off from its intended direction. Misaligned people and organizations will likewise miss their marks as well.
Instead of straying off course, tighten your alignment to God, to the mission of His schools, and to the beliefs, values, and behaviors of organizations who think and act and love as God does.
