Forest Rangers

I was at a meeting about a week ago and one of the guys there was talking about God being wild and how we have tamed him, put him in a box...nothing really new. But then he said something that I have been seriously pondering, "christian leaders need to be more like forest rangers than gardeners".
So what's the difference?
Gardeners spend most of their time manicuring what they oversee..lots of "hands-on" time grooming, pruning, pulling, planting and replanting making the garden fit the preconceived picture in their mind. The gardener is THE artist.

In contrast a forest ranger's job is to keep human hands off of what they are overseeing. No planting, pulling, trimming, or grooming. Occasionally picking up some trash or putting out a fire both of which often come at the hands of...well...humans. He protects and mends the bruised reed instead of uprooting and replacing it. The beauty of a forest is often found in its wild spontaneity. A forest ranger recognizes he is not the artist but he is a steward for the artist.

What does this look like in church life...messy and uncontrolled for sure. Much more reactive than proactive. It means we minister ample portions of grace and truth and leave plenty of room for the Holy Spirit to work in people's live. It means we spend most of our time cleaning up messes instead of preventing them.