The means and the ends

By now, you’ve probably heard that Lance Armstrong is in the process of being stripped of every cycling medal he’s won in the last 15 years or so. His name will be literally wiped off the books by the US and world cycling authorities. His elaborate scheme to hoodwink the authorities and deceive all the various drug tests he had to perform with each race will arguably go down as one of the most intricate and cleverly masterminded cheating plans of sporting history.

That’s a shame, because his story, on the face of it, was compelling in its own right. Had he not won any Tour de France races – yet still managed to come back and compete at the highest level after cancer – could have been enough to start the Live Strong foundation and launch those philanthropic efforts that are blessing people today.

Instead, any positive achievement is lost in the shadows of rampant cheating that enabled him to win those seven titles.

It reminds me of the importance of not just the ends, but the means. What do I mean by that? Armstrong was focused on the ends, and the means were just conveniently flexed to make those ends happen – rules or no rules. He flaunted the limits of competition to get the edge he needed to win. The ends mattered; the means didn’t.

For us Christ followers, we need to consider living our lives differently. To God, both the ends as well as the means are hugely important. In fact, often times the means are the very ways we arrive at the ends God desires, and to go about things in a different way means we’ll miss the goal altogether. Jesus wants our end to be Christ-likeness, but the means to that end are crucial. And there’s no short-circuiting or microwaving the process.

Paul makes this claim in 2 Corinthians when he says, “We reject all shameful and underhanded methods [of ministry]. We do not try to trick anyone, and we do not distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know that. If the Good News we preach is veiled from anyone, it is a sign that they are perishing.”

This applies to groups as well. While group life is messy, sometimes chaotic, and even a bit bumpy, it is still God’s Plan A for redeeming people. Hint – there is no plan B.

Loving people is hard work. It is not easy, quick, or clean. It takes time, energy, sweat, and even pain. It can be a long time before someone grasps truths that may seem so clear to the rest of us – i.e. ‘God loves me’, ‘He has what’s best for me’, etc.

This also means doing some of the “yeoman’s work” upfront in the beginning to set your group’s course in the right direction. Yeoman’s work is a phrase attributed to the guy/gal who is the unsung hero, toiling and laboring in the background with no fanfare – often times doing the work nobody else wants to do. But their contribution is priceless. They are difference makers. Be that person for your group.

My encouragement to you is – be faithful to the course God has you on. Take no shortcuts. Remain steadfast in your pursuit of God’s best for all of you, and do the hard work necessary to invite the greater opportunities for transformation later on. By remaining committed, you are demonstrating that you believe God when He claims that He is faithful, and you’re willing to put it on the line.