by Dr. Richard Blackaby
Why do some people uncover brilliant insights while others struggle to overcome simple problems? Why do some people continually learn while others are stuck in a pool of cognitive stagnation? Why do some people use their failures as stepping stones to greater heights while others repeatedly make the same avoidable errors? The answer to these questions might vary from one person to the next. But I would like to suggest one tool that can help people mine every significant event in their life for gold. I call this tool processing.
Mark chapter six records an interesting story. Jesus sent His twelve disciples into the surrounding villages to preach, teach, heal, and cast out evil spirits (Mark 6:7-13). When they returned, they excitedly told Him about their experiences (Mark 6:30). Then Jesus led his disciples to withdraw to a lonely place to rest and process recent events (Mark 6:31). Jesus’ actions are highly significant. Notice the pattern He used. First, He taught His disciples. Second, He sent them out to practice what He taught them. Third, He gathered them together in a quiet place to process what they had learned. This step is crucial.
The problem with much of what is labelled as “learning” today is that it is never practiced or processed. A teacher makes a presentation, power points and all, and the students leave the classroom with information in their heads but no experience. Jesus took His teaching several steps further. Not only did he provide opportunities for His disciples to put what they learned into practice, but He also had them debrief and evaluate their experience.
It has been said that we do not learn from experiences; we learn from reflecting on our experiences. Some people never learn from their mistakes. I once worked with a woman who had been divorced five times. Her conclusion? Men are jerks, and she would never marry again. Had she vigorously processed her experience, however, she might have concluded the following: a) she tended to pick losers for husbands, and not all men are losers; 2) she left God out of her marriage, so God had not blessed any of her unions; 3) pre-marital counselling would be critical if she ever married again; 4) she should heed warnings from friends and family when they pointed out obvious red flags in her boyfriends. Instead, this woman suffered one identical failure after another.
I knew a pastor who was fired from four churches. His conclusion? He never got any “good” churches! Had he processed his repeated failures, he might have concluded the following: 1) he was better suited to the role of associate pastor than senior pastor; 2) he needed to develop stronger leadership skills (every church that fired him cited his weak leadership); 3) he should not take a job, no matter how lucrative, if it did not match his skill set; 4) he needed to enlist a leadership coach before accepting another job. He did not, however, reach any of these conclusions, and he has yet to be secularly employed.
After Jesus escaped with His disciples to a remote area around the Sea of Galilee, crowds of people found them and began clamoring for Jesus to teach and heal them. When evening came, the disciples suggested that Jesus send the multitude away (Mark 6:36). Instead, Jesus told His disciples to feed the people. The disciples protested that it would take 200 denarii to feed such a host (Mark 6:37). Jesus then proceeded to perform one of the greatest miracles recorded in the Bible. It is the only miracle before Jesus’ crucifixion that is recorded in all four Gospels.
After the twelve disciples distributed the bread and fish to the multitude, twelve baskets of food were left. God had not merely provided enough food for that vast assembly; He had given more than enough. Then Jesus did something interesting. He put the disciples into a boat and dispatched them to the other side of the sea (Mark 6:45). He remained behind to send away the multitude. Any pastor who has stood at the back door of a church shaking hands with departing parishioners knows how exhausting sending away a crowd can be. But notice what Jesus did next. He did not find a nearby hotel and get some much-needed rest. Instead, He climbed a mountain and began an all-night prayer meeting (Mark 6:46).
What were Jesus’ motives? The Bible doesn’t clearly say, but we can speculate. First, Jesus was thinking of His disciples. They were tired and needed a break. Of course, Jesus was probably even more tired, but, as a leader, He was always alert to His disciples’ physical and spiritual needs. Jesus also knew that something else was more important than sleep: processing.
Jesus had just performed arguably His greatest miracle to date. The Gospel of John indicates that the multitude Jesus had just fed wanted to make Him their king (John 6:15). After great accomplishments, leaders often face their most dangerous temptations. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he had pressured Jesus to turn stones into bread. The implication was that Jesus could build an enormous following if He miraculously fed people. After the feeding of the 5,000, Satan reared his ugly head again. Jesus needed to stay focused. So He climbed a mountain and spent time with His Father, making sure He was staying on track and fulfilling His mission.
Too many well-intentioned leaders have fallen off the rails at this point. In the beginning, their vision for their organization motivated them. As they achieved success, however, their focus shifted from their vision to entitlement. They listened to voices telling them how great they were and how the organization could not survive without them. When such leaders make faulty assumptions about their leadership, they imperil their future. For that reason, processing is so important.
After every failure, as well as every success, leaders must figuratively climb a mountain and process what just happened. What does this event mean for me as a leader? What can I learn from it? What could I have done better? What does this experience teach me about God? What does it reveal about the people I lead? What adjustments should I make going forward? Leaders should keep a journal to record nuggets they uncover at such times. Later, when difficulties mount, temptations come, or opposition reacts, they can review what they learned in earlier processing sessions so they are not swayed by their unreliable emotions in the moment.
This story has a sequel. Mark chapter 8 records Jesus feeding a second multitude, this time of 4,000 people (Mark 8:1-10). Immediately afterward, Jesus got in a boat with His disciples and left. That Jesus often took His disciples away from the crowd after a success is noteworthy. As Jesus began debriefing with the disciples, it became clear that they had not processed what had happened. Jesus rebuked them, saying: “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?”(Mark 8:18). The disciples had just witnessed God working mightily in their midst and learned nothing. They hadn’t grown. Processing is one of God’s primary methods of prompting personal growth.
Many leaders work at a frenetic pace, constantly juggling responsibilities. They may feel that they do not have time to pull away to process their experiences. “I will do that when things slow down,” they promise themselves. But things never slow down, and many leaders simply fall further behind.
Have you blocked out regular time to process your experiences? Do you routinely schedule time for reflection immediately after major victories? Do you pull away with your team to process recent events? If not, prioritize time for processing going forward. You can’t afford to keep making the same mistakes. You must lead better tomorrow than you led today.
