Going All In

You know that one person that, when they show up to serve on a Sunday, there's something different about them?

Something that makes them next level. They show up early, they serve with gladness, and they never let anything throw them around. Their personality is intoxicating, and they bring up the temperature of the culture around them. Multiple words could be used to describe them: passionate, positive, but most importantly, they can be described as BOUGHT IN. Bought in to the vision of their leader, their mission, and their purpose.

This isn’t just serving at church either.

They are all-in for their jobs, for their family, and for God. How did they get this way? How can they do this thing we call life with so much energy? How can YOU get to that level, and what are the practicals to get you there?

First things first, they don’t look at the list of things to do and think of them as tasks.

They don’t just do things to check them off the list. They look at things they have to do and strive to complete them as apart of a bigger mission. For example, taking notes in a meeting is the task they are asked to do, but the mission behind the task is to make sure that the team is clear on what is being discussed as well as making sure that others who couldn’t make the meeting are well informed so they won’t fall behind or be confused. When you shift your mindset to not think of the thing you have to do, but instead to, "how does me completing this task impact others," it stops feeling like a job and starts to feel more like an opportunity to do your best and improve others’ lives.

Another thing that this person does well, is that they don’t do things alone.

They bring people alongside them. They want those around them to be as impacted in being all-in as they themselves are. They understand that, yes, sometimes it is easier to do things by yourself. But that gets lonely. When you are dedicated to running a race, it is easy to get caught up and disconnected from those you love and those around you. Involving people in the mission with you ensures that you don’t have to do things alone and it also takes a lot of the weight off your shoulders. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather climb a mountain with another person or team who has my back in case things get hard, and also share in joy with me!

Lastly, this person builds in rest for themselves.

They understand that they aren’t meant to do it all for forever. Sometimes, they have to grind for a week, month, or season, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t build in time to recharge and refuel. You hear it all the time, “you can’t pour from an empty cup”, and it is true. Imagine waking up on a Saturday morning: the sun is shining, you go into your kitchen and get out a fresh box of Captain Crunch. You pour a really big bowl, excited to dig into cereal that you could have sworn you dreamed about last night. You go into your fridge and get out the milk. You start to pour the milk into your bowl…. And there is only a couple of spoonsful of milk left. Pretty hard to eat the cereal now, huh? I mean, you could eat it dry, or just eat a little bit with milk, but it isn’t what you planned. That is kind of what happens when you don’t make sure to build in rest to your normal routine. You can do it all, you can grind, but ultimately it is harder to get the job done and is NOT sustainable for a long period of time. Even Jesus himself took time to rest and recharge.

In the end, there isn’t a magical equation or “5 steps on how to be bought in”.

There isn’t an energy drink you can chug or a course you can take. It is all about being intentional to the calling and purpose you have been given on this earth. There is one thing you can do though, that will work 100% of the time. Can you guess what it is? Kind of cheesy, but you are right: seek Jesus. Calling upon the Holy Spirit to walk with you will always produce good fruit in your life. Will He do it for you? No, but you won’t be alone, and He says that “His yoke is easy, and His burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).

This world needs you to live on mission. It needs you to be bought-in and go all out. There is no one else out there that can do what YOU can do. So in the words of the great Shia LaBeouf, “JUST DO IT!”

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