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I’m currently reading a book by Michael Lewis called “The Big Short” about the financial collapse and the few people who were smart enough to see it coming. In Chapter 2 he tells the story of an investor named Michael Burry who made billions buying subprime mortgage credit default swaps. This article is not about this book necessarily but more about a statement that Burry made in his interview with Lewis. He describes the moment when his clients found out that he was investing their money by betting against a market that was currently booming. He started getting phone calls and pressure from them urging him to stop even though he had done nothing but make them money. He was growing frustrated by the phone calls because he found himself having to defend an idea.
Inadvertently, he’d opened up a debate with his own investors, which he counted among his least favorite activities. “I hated discussing ideas with investors,” he said. “because I then became a Defender of the Idea, and that influences your thought process.” Once you become and idea’s defender you have a hard time changing your mind about it.
One takeaway from this quote could be that he knew he was right and he
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Have you ever noticed while reading the Bible that you never associate yourself with the religious leaders? Being honest, as a pastor, when I read encounters Jesus has with the Pharisees, I always put myself in His shoes and associate the religious leaders with “those” people that I happen to be getting any type of resistance or push back from. I think for most of us we associate the religious leaders with anyone who isn’t for what we believe God is leading us to do at the time.
This is pretty normal behavior though. Think about it, we usually assume we aren’t “those” people in other areas of life too. No woman thinks she wears to much makeup. Everyone thinks they are a good tipper, all men believe they have unique since of humor, are a good driver, and negotiate good deals, but the fact is like David Hasselhoff we usually don’t recognize what everyone else sees clearly in us.
I would make the argument that a lot of times you and I are more like the religious leaders than Jesus in those stories. A few years ago during my devotions I came across the “Woes to The Religious Leaders” in Matthew 23, and after reading through some of the bulky language I wrote these questions
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Paul’s writing to the Philippian church are among his most personal and this is just one of many that are deeply thought-provoking to me as a leader…
How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. (Philippians 4:10-12 NLT)
Contentment is not a core conviction of the culture in which I lead and live. Look at the hysteria over the release of a new iPhone or iPad. Notice how often we change our TVs, cars, spouses! We are not trained to be content and in fact, our economy survives on the idea that discontent causes us to spend money. So where is the balance in knowing how to be happy and content?
The leader’s contentment must reside in the convictions of his identity, calling and assignment. By this I mean, striving for more productivity, growth and success is not inherently bad and proper motivation
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