It’s with much emotion that I said farewell to my job today, and to many great colleagues who made these last four years the best years of my career. I joined the company in April 2022 because of the people, culture, and opportunities to grow and contribute. For my entire tenure, it was an incredible experience full of amazing, authentic people who lived the values of a Christian company, although it was not a faith-based company. As I said goodbye, I shared the following as a guidepost for my life going forward: “I trust the next chapter because I know the Author.”
So, what does the next chapter of my life look like? First, let me share what it will not look like as I take this one year at a time. Employers are great; they provide stability, amazing benefits, and a safe place to learn and grow, but my next chapter will not be employer-led. An organization's hierarchy is important, and managers and chief executives are critical to the success of companies and their employees. However, in this next chapter, I will not have a normal boss. In the next chapter of my life, the CEO is Jesus.
What will life be like with Jesus as my CEO? Here are four daily steps I will follow:
- Surrender: Jesus is ready to be the CEO of each of our lives, whether we are a student, working, retired, or a volunteer. He wants full access to our lives; we just have to surrender, 100%, to Jesus each day. In my next chapter, I will continually surrender my life to Jesus and claim the following Bible promise, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
- Daily Agenda: I like to get things done and plan my daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly agenda. With Jesus as my CEO, I will submit my daily agenda to Him, asking Jesus what He’d like to add and/or remove from my priorities. This is not a check-the-box kind of thing. No! This daily petition to the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16) will be made with the expectation that Jesus has something to share with me—just like we’d expect our employer-led boss to have something to share with us. As I give my daily agenda to Jesus, I will claim the following Bible promise, “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3 NIV).
- Living with Fearlessness: After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to Heaven, the early church lived with fearlessness after they received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4, 22-24, 38-41). For most of my life, I have not lived with fearlessness. Going forward, with a remembrance of all that Jesus has already done for me, and the power of the Holy Spirit, I will live in awe of Jesus, and live with fearlessness to serve others as Jesus calls me to serve. Each morning, I will let Jesus know, “Here am I,” and claim the following Bible promise, “’The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest’” (Matthew 9:37-38).
- Complete Dependence on God: The air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat are provided by God, because He sends the sunshine, the rain, and sustains us with His breath (Job 34:14-15 NLT). In my next chapter, I will completely depend upon God, with an earnest desire to use the talents He has given me, to bring others to Heaven. I will trust His leading and lean on Him to guide me each day—to have eyes to see what He wants me to see, ears to hear what He wants me to hear, and the words to say what He wants me to say. I will pray for the courage to follow Him, wherever He leads me, and claim the following Bible promise, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (Psalm 32:8).
Call to Action
In this new chapter of my life, Jesus is my CEO. But whether I’m a volunteer, student, paid worker, or retiree, shouldn’t my goal of having Jesus as my CEO remain the same? Yes!
Jesus wants to be your CEO. Jesus has unique plans for you, a special agenda that only you can accomplish.
Will you join me in living by and following the four steps listed above each day?
As we do this, remember that continual 100% surrender to Jesus is critical as we seek to follow God’s agenda for our lives, not our own. God’s agenda for us is beyond our wildest dreams—we just have to ask. Live with fearlessness because you live in awe of God, and no one else. As we learn to live completely dependent on Him, we will be willing to follow the Lamb wherever He leads.
"Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads...These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes..."
Revelation 14:1, 4
Unless noted otherwise, scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture noted as NIV above is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
