journey something

I’ve recently read Dallas Willard’s essay entitled “Living in the Vision of God.” In it he addresses the almost unavoidable problem that great leaders and movements often face: the true “fire” which began the movement is snuffed out. Instead of carrying on the fire, successors simply “warm themselves by the fire”. Dallas sites Assissi as an example. Upon arrival he says you will find many souveniers and monuments commemorating St. Francis, “But you will not find anyone who carries in himself the fire that Francis carried.”

To me, this problem is especially true in our present day American culture. Additionally, not only must a movement sustain the fire, but also successfully fight off consumerism and capitalism which threaten to turn any sort of movement into a product to be marketed and engage in competition with others. In some ways, the Emergent Church movement is a good example of this problem. What possibly started as a genuine movement of God has in part been co-opted. Millions of dollars are being made on t-shirts, book deals, and special events. Does this movement really have what it takes to stand the test of time, or will it fizzle out in a few years because it’s not cool anymore and can’t make money?

Dallas argues that when the mission (work) becomes more important than the vision, the movement fails. Only humility, grace, and a heart which only seeks to love God sustains a true movement of God.

“We don’t need to be the vision, and the goals we set are God’s business, not ours. We do the very best we know, we work hard, and even self-sacrificially. But we do not carry the load, and our ego is not involved in any way with the mission and the ministry. In our love of Jesus and his Father, we truly have abondoned our life to God. Our life is not an object of deep concern.”

Dallas Willard, LIving in the Vision of God (Tell the Word Publishing: Washington DC), 10.