Some leaders in business and in ministry I know feel trapped—I'm called by God to do this, but I don't like certain aspects of the job, and I don't feel free to change them. This depresses them almost monthly. Pastors sometimes feel like slaves to the church, and slaves have very few options. They have emotional options, of course—they can be dedicated, enthusiastic, willing to use their best talents, or they can drag their feet and be insolent and difficult to get along with. But internal control is about the only control slaves have. Business people experience the same entrapment in careers with the same choices.
When feeling trapped, the key is to recognize you're serving the wrong master. We are all are to be slaves of Christ, not slaves of the church or the job. This freedom to serve Christ alone, however, requires discipline. It comes with a price. All freedom does. One of my wife's friends once told her, "Your husband has more freedom to express his opinion than anybody I've ever met." Mary Alice replied, "He pays a price for it."It's true. Mavericks must accept the price of being a maverick. So must we who want to be free to serve Christ alone. It's dishonest to want the benefits without paying the price.
A lot of people try to lease freedom instead of buying it. Leasing—trying in small ways to be something you're not in order to please people—is cheaper. It provides some breathing room. But by leasing, you never gain ultimate freedom. Freedom cannot be leased; it must be purchased, and you buy it at a price you do not set. You decide to have it, and then you pay whatever it costs. If you try to acquire it at your own price, you're leasing.
The price of freedom to serve Christ alone is often your willingness to be disliked. It may cost you your job. It may cost you relationships. You may be ostracized by your peers.
I was approached by an active Christian man about serving on the board of his organization. I said, "You don't want me, because I would see my responsibility to the organization and not to you. You couldn't count automatically on my vote." I was insisting on my freedom to discharge my responsibility. He agreed I wasn't who he wanted for this position.
This desire for total freedom has to be tempered, however. Freedom is not irresponsibility. Freedom is an environment in which you discharge your responsibility. I believe one reason for America's productivity is that for the first time in history, responsible people have lived in an environment of freedom. The Puritan conscience was responsible—you have a talent, you're responsible for it, and one day you'll stand before God and be judged. When that was placed into an environment of freedom, it became tremendously productive. The more total we can make our commitment to Christ, the freer we are. We discipline our desires. We discipline our natural inclination for freedom without responsibility. Freedom carries certain restraints.
One of the first requirements of a leader is to stay a part of the community he's leading. Politicians say the number one requirement is getting elected. Even the noblest politicians can't represent their constituents' needs if they're not in office. Likewise, leaders may compromise a certain degree of their personal freedom, and do so with integrity, because they know the difference between long-term and short-term victory. Staying part of the community may be more important than insisting on their way over any given single issue.
Maybe an example from a different sphere will help. Even during an epidemic, a doctor has to sleep. Some individuals may die while he sleeps, but if he doesn't rest, he'll weaken himself and catch the disease, and more people will die while he's out sick. Therefore, while some may criticize the doctor for sleeping, the larger picture calls for a different view of the facts. So, too, leaders may have to balance their freedom in light of the total organization. Only shortsighted people see each moral decision as an isolated incident. The discipline of freedom is remembering the long-term goal, not sacrificing it for the short-term satisfaction of winning a battle but alienating the team.
