War of the Mind

Have you ever asked someone what they are thinking? Well, I'll give you a hint. If you ever ask me, nine times out of ten, I have a song playing in my head. That's right. It doesn't matter what's going on around me, I could be at work, driving the car, watching futbol or NASCAR, and it is very likely I have a song playing in the background of my mind.

Sometimes it's the same song for hours. Those earwigs drone on relentlessly, never wavering until finally something else, a different song, a distraction, something changes the record of my mental jukebox. This morning, I woke to Christian contemporary (in my head) and enjoyed a little Casting Crowns. I walked the dogs, made my coffee, read some scriptures, at the end of which the Cranberries popped in there...

"In your head, in your head, they are fighting; with their tanks, and their bombs, and their bombs, and their guns; in your head, in your head they are crying." (Zombie, by the Cranberries)

How'd that get in there and what does it have to do with Servant Leadership, you may ask.

Well, the answer is - a lot.

You see, Servant Leader, everyone we meet is fighting a war behind their eyes. For some of them, like our service members who return home with only a part of their souls, they are fighting a literal war. Some call it survivor's guilt. Others pin the tag "PTSD" on it. It doesn't matter what we call it, the fact is, in their heads they are fighting - and some are losing.

Others face a typical Biblical struggle to do good in a body that doesn't know how or has long forgotten. They could be an addict or a soccer mom, a professional athlete or the bagger at the grocery store on the corner. The war of the mind to do good or evil knows no status. It respects no person.

"For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing." (Romans 7:18-19, NIV)

But for many of us, the war in our minds is much more subtle. We could say it is more akin to the angel on our right shoulder arguing with the devil on our left. It manifests in tiny ways that weigh us down. We hear political commentary about a shooting in the Mid-West and our reaction isn't very Christian. We see an able bodied person walk to their car parked in a handicapped spot and our thoughts are unpleasant, even violent. We watch a co-worker move up the ladder when we "know" they are being promoted for reasons other than their abilities, and our thoughts turn darker still.

As servant leaders, we know all too well the war of the mind, and it is our responsibility to be what God intends us to be when confronted with someone else's war. If we are to be God's hands and feet, then we are also to be His ears and HIs heart. If, as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5, we are given the ministry of reconciliation, then our role is to help those we encounter to realize the new life they can live, free from chains of the devil on our left shoulder.

When confronted by the devil on someone's left, redirect them to the angel on the right. Don't pile on in a conversation you know is negative (my mom would say, don't be a cog in the rumor mill). Redirect the conversation to pleasant things, positive things. When you get that email complaining about a co-worker or your mutual supervisor, don't respond. A plant not watered will wither and die, so let it die. And when someone comes to you in confidence to vent, first listen, then help them find peace. It takes more than a willing ear to be a servant leader in the time of crisis. It takes action. Redirect. Correct, if need be and if they'll listen. Just don't feed the devil. Don't give comfort to the enemy. Don't fuel the fire of the war of the mind.

And when the Cranberries start pining about bombs and guns, change the channel in your head. Be courageous. Lead the way. Be the generation that...

Seek justice Love mercy Walk humbly with your God

In the war of the mind I will make my stand In the battle of the heart And the battle of the hand

We were made to be courageous And we're taking back the fight We were made to be courageous And it starts with us tonight

The only way we'll ever stand Is on our knees with lifted hands Make us courageous Lord, make us courageous