Key ten: Keep the heart right
To keep the right heart in all you do you need to:
- Stay focused on God and get your strength from him (Key 1)
- Make sure you’re getting sufficient rest time (Key 6)
- Find ways to deal with disappointment, frustration and fatigue
- Be accountable to others
- Stay in community and not get isolated
More below...
Learn more about the 10 Keys for impact
Keeping the heart right will help you look after your team (Key 5), live out your faith in your words and actions (Key 8) and be a blessing to others working in your community (Key 9).
Above all else guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life
Proverbs 4 v23
When I start to get overwhelmed by the needs of families and face the
limits of my human resources, the best thing I can do is to take some
time out in a quiet place with God. It's in this place that my heart
softens, hope is restored and I start to get excited again at all that
is possible with God.
Rowena Crisp, Alongside You
It’s easy to think we keep our hearts right but it’s something we need
to be really purposeful about. For me I’ve had to learn to step back,
ignore the flesh, and try do what Jesus would do, i.e. responding with the right heart when people let us down. We can end up
feeling frustrated and hurt, but we have to trust that Christ has a
perfect plan and his plans will be fulfilled.
Keep the right heart in our humility towards who we are without Christ,
and that it is only through him that we are able to achieve anything
When we have the right heart, we give all the honour and glory to the Lord
Catherine Marshall, Signal
Accountability is absolutely key. As a Christian I need to be
accountable to others so that I protect myself as best as I can from
falling into moral lapse. Accountability helps keep you on track.
Mike Robins, Newquay Christian Centre
As a leader, it is so easy to become disappointed with those around you
but you have to see past this and have grace for them. At times everyone
feels like giving up but keep reminding yourself that it’s God’s vision
and you need to please him not others. We must also remember to
continually search our own hearts and motives and to keep short accounts
before God.
Mark Russell, Greenbank Christian Centre
It’s absolutely essential that we safeguard our hearts as there are so
many pressures associated with community work. I find that when my heart
is not 'right' praying and focusing on Jesus because almost an
impossible task; family life suffers, my health is at risk and I can’t
enjoy meaningful relationships. To protect against this we need to wait
on the Lord to give us strength (Isaiah 40v31) and make space to be
still with him.
Richard Davies MBE, OWN IT Ltd
‘Turning the Key’ – Additional Tips:
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Take time out with God to get things in perspective
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See a Spiritual Director/mentor at least three times a year
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Make space in team meetings for people to be honest about how they’re feeling and to share how they deal with work problems
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Share inspiring stories at every opportunity
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Make sure you have time with your service users to remember why you’re putting in this hard work
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Don’t try to fix or save people – trust them to God
Helpful books
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Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: How to Become an Effective Leader by Confronting Potential Failures, by Gary L McIntosh
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Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
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Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels
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Money, Sex and Power by Richard Foster