(Elijah’s story applied to leadership, business, and personal calling)

The 4 traps we fall prey to are common. At the height of success, we end up in any, or all, of the 4 traps:
𝐈. 𝐆𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠
𝐈𝐈. 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐲… “𝐰𝐨𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞.”
𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
𝐈𝐕. 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞… 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞

I will begin this series with:
𝐈. 𝐆𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠
We all reach a place of contemplation. A place of self-pity. Alone. Things might not be going well, at least not in the way we expected. And then we begin to question everything.

We “run away” and go into hiding. We retreat into a cave. We become silent… hold our thoughts back, sulk… and withdraw. We feel wronged and become entitled to how we feel. And we feel unappreciated… as most high achievers do when they slip into their caves.

A lot of people are hiding in caves today. A notable faculty friend of mine once told me he became silent in meetings because he felt he wasn’t being listened to. He was in the cave, hiding. A financial manager of a large conglomerate told me the same thing. She felt challenged every time she raised a point. So, she withdrew. She stopped speaking. She slipped into her own cave.

Elijah did the same thing. And twice, God asked him (in that place of hiding): “𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝑬𝒍𝒊𝒋𝒂𝒉?”

So, I ask you… and I ask myself, 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆? Don’t we realize we are in hiding in a cave… sulking… holding back… and shrinking from the very calling that brought us this far?

We shouldn’t be in the cave, hiding. That is neither the calling nor the assignment.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆? I leave you with that question… that only you can answer.

𝑈𝑙𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦, 𝑡𝑜 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒.
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Next time, in the series: II. Sink into self-pity… “woe unto me.”
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Author Bio
Dr. Ivan Edwards is a man who is comfortable wearing a few hats in life. A polymath, he is an ordained non-denominational minister, a medical doctor, a USAF flight surgeon (at the rank of Colonel), an entrepreneur and CEO, and a writer-poet.

His work explores healing, restoration, resilience, identity, and the strength of the human spirit shaped by faith.