"Lean In"

“Lean in”, I heard that little phrase about 100 times yesterday. What does it mean? In the setting I was in, it meant to pay attention to what is going on in our corporate surroundings and to not be afraid to step out and take a chance. It means to not stay still, but to do something, even if it is as simple as asking a question. This phrase was given to me yesterday by Trey Davis. Trey is my manager up two levels, he came down from Plano to meet with our team and to give us a little bit of hope in these troubled times and tough economy. I drove up to Tomball for the meeting and met with my manager (RC Duron), Trey and several other members of our team. It was a great meeting followed by lunch and some very good conversation. However, as I was driving home the thought that kept hitting me was “lean in”.

This morning I am looking into some online training courses offered by the company, these will help me to become more marketable to the company as well as help me personally and professionally by achieving some certifications. I am also checking on how I can be more involved in the team from work, sometimes for me this is a challenge as I have been working either remote or from a customer site for almost 10 years. RC is very good and pulling me in and making sure that I am leaning in when I need to, like a coach or a mentor. These men are looking out for the interest of the team, by making sure each member of the team is engaged and growing.

The single thought that I keep coming back to is, “am I “leaning in” to God and His Church?” You see like Trey and RC, I know God is working behind the scenes in our lives to help us grow and stay engaged, he only asks us to “lean in”.

Consider Hebrews 10:19-25 19Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

The text here is talking about us “drawing near”, “holding fast”, “stimulate one another” and “meeting together” that sure sounds a lot like “leaning in” to me. The book of James also tells us that if we will draw near to God, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). I have heard it said many times that if you feel far away from God, it is not because He moved.

My point is this, I really don’t care about little insignificant complaints, or people being offended by something that is not a matter of salvation. If God had really cared about these things He would have spelled out every detail of them in Acts, like He did in Deuteronomy. Jesus fulfilled the law of Moses, which means that the legal details no longer matter. God want to have a relationship with you, not a legal, binding contract set of rules to be followed without putting your heart into it. He did not call us to check each box as we go through our lives, He called us to be “living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship” Romans 12:1-ff.

Lean in, draw near, spend some time getting to know God and getting to know your brothers and sisters in our congregation. The new covenant is all about relationships, not rules. Lean in, trust that God will give you what you need to be successful and happy. Lean in, join a life group or find a ministry that you can get excited about. Lean in, volunteer to help with Monday Night for the Master or the Youth Group activities. It can be as simple as just asking a question or playing softball with us. You might find as I did, that you have some real friends in this group of people. Just lean in and find out for yourself.