Ten Things I've Learned In 2020

One of my favorite things to watch, as a sports fan, are the post game news conferences. It’s so amazing to see the various approaches to leadership that are on display after a big win or a big loss.

Some coaches do an amazing job of taking responsibility for failures, and sharing credit for successes. Some coaches demonstrate that they have truly gained some new insights about their team during the game. Other coaches simply show their frustration with their team, and at times their own incompetence!

Most of them say something like this, “We will need to get back into the film room and watch our performance, so that we can learn from it all and get better.” Post-game evaluations, if done well, are a key to getting better. This is true in every area of life. When we win, we need to take the time to celebrate! When we lose, we take the time to mourn. But neither of those emotions can last too long - because we have another game coming up in the follwing week.

So what is the post-game evaluation for this crazy year of 2020? Here’s ten things I have learned.

#1 - Your best team members seem to thrive under pressure!

I have been personally amazed by many of my staff who have stepped up to the plate and performed at high levels through all of the pivots, adjustments, and changes of this year. They have demonstrated positive attitudes, flexibility, and incredible creativity during this season.

I believe it was Sam Chand who said, ‘Crisis reveals which team members you need to retain, which you need to reposition, and which you need to release.’ This year has been one of those years that have truly revealed those who are serving with excellence!

#2 - There was way more going on beneath the surface than I realized!

One of the things that this year has revealed is what was truly in people’s hearts all along. It’s like when you press down on a sponge; what’s inside comes out. Some of what I have seen is truly ugly. It’s not that 2020 made people act in hateful, critical, dishonoring ways. It’s that 2020 revealed the partisan, angry, argumentative attitudes that were brewing beneath the surface all along.

It’s like James says in chapter 3:10-11 - “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?”

It’s also true that the pressure of this year has revealed some of the most beautiful, selfless, generous attitudes that I have ever seen as well.

#3 - People are far more committed & faithful than I understood!

One of the most astonishing things throughout this year, is just how faithful people have been to continue tithing and giving over and above to our Kingdom Builder projects. The threat of an economic downturn is huge. But people have stayed faithful. That’s one of the really great signs of spiritual maturity.

Almost everyone has also pivoted to some type of online giving pattern. Prior to the pandemic we had about 40% of our people giving online. Now it is closer to 95%. I have talked to pastors around the country who recount the same experience. People have been faithful! Most have converted to online giving.

#4 - Decision Fatigue is a very real thing!

There have been moments during the last eight months when I have felt depressed and completely exhausted. It didn’t last long. After a few days rest, I would feel normal again. Each time that happened, I recognized that it was due to the need to make a lot of decisions, without enough information, in a hurry, and under a lot of pressure.

An article by Grace Hauck USA Today states this, “Like a mental gas tank, the human brain has a limited capacity of energy, and as you make decisions throughout the day, you deplete that resource. As you become fatigued, you may be inclined to avoid additional decisions…”

Giving myself the space needed to trickle charge my brain, and ultimately my soul, has been a huge need and a critical discipline.

#5 - Being consistently criticized can actually make you stronger!

Something happened to me in early July. For several months, almost every decision I made brought a huge reaction. It’s not that people were rejecting me as a person (though it takes a minute to remember that); it’s that they felt the pressure of the tense situations in our world and felt the need to vocalize their concerns.

As pastors and leaders we had to decide many things, knowing that whatever was decided, it would be unpopular with many. There was no way to win with everyone.

As pastors, we often want to create the ultimate win-win solution, build consensus, and get everyone on board so we can move forward in unity. That goal has become impossible. But what that has done for me is free me up a bit.

I still greatly value the opinions of others. But I have become even more confident in my own convictions. This entire year has made me bolder and more certain that God has called me to lead with authority.

#6 - Theology matters!

We all tend to react out of what we feel and what we believe. The church across America has had very different responses and reactions to the exact same situations. Part of this has to do with the echo-chamber created by social media. The other factor is that the church has lost its theological underpinnings. There’s a lot of really bad theology from which people speak and act.

I can’t spend the time getting into all the specifics in this short post. But eschatology (what we believe about the end times) is one of the least understood, most misapplied concepts in the church today. The fact that much of what we talk about in the church, as a whole, is practical and applicablel is good in some ways. But the lack of theological depth and solidity has shown itself during this season.

We need to get back to sound expository preaching and teaching again.

#7 - No one really knows the future!

If 2020 should have done anything for us, it should have brought a little humility to both prophets and prognosticators. No one saw this year coming! I know I didn’t. When we started the year in January, I had no idea of what I would have to lead through this year. I cast vision based on what I knew. Then everything changed!

But that has not stopped the theorists projecting all kinds of outcomes about what will happen when COVID-19 is over. There are predictions about how many people will come back to church, how many will worship online, how many churches will close, etc etc. My sense - NO ONE KNOWS! That’s part of what this crazy year has taught us.

In the prophetic community, there also could be a massive reset of sorts. So many prophesied a second term for Trump. Now, at the time of this writing - we still don’t how how this will all turn out. But if Trump is not actually re-elected, a whole bunch of corrections will have to come.

I write this, not to criticize anyone, but to express the fact that we should all be a little more humble about predicting or prophesying future events. We can do our best to voice what we believe God has said to us, but we should also always remind people that we can be wrong. We are human and fallible.

#8 - I am so much better when I limit my intake of social media and the news.

When I started this journey in March, I was immersed every day in the news and in social media. As I get ready to shift into 2021, I have reduced my intake by about 90%. My soul is so much healthier! I have more joy. I am not as impacted by the ups and downs of world events. I am a better christian, a better husband and father, a better pastor, and a better person all around for it.

#9 - The Holy Spirit is truly amazing!

I already knew this, but I have come to appreciate His presence in my life so much more. Everyday, He has more than enough joy. He has more than enough peace. He has more than enough wisdom. He is willing to share. I have chosen to live in and cultivate His presence in my life as a constant daily practice.

#10 - I am convicted that so often I have been ungrateful for the little things in life.

Not having the freedom I am used to has made me appreciate some things I used to take for granted. Going outside without a mask; being able to be in a crowd; eating out with a bunch of friends; Going to a sporting event.

But not everything has been taken away from me. There are so many things I can still be grateful for in my life. So rather than grieve the loss, the healthy thing is to be grateful for what remains. This is my choice.