Kent Elliott
What’s Driving You?
The world moves fast. Deadlines stack up. Events fill the calendar. Services must be planned. Messages prepared. Campaigns launched. Metrics reviewed. Technology keeps shifting.
It’s easy to feel like we are being pulled along by whatever is most urgent.
But today, pause and ask a deeper question.
To drive something means to guide it, control it, direct it. If pressure drives us, pressure will control our pace. If deadlines drive us, urgency will define our pace. If approval drives us, people’s opinions will shape our sense of worth.
And all of those drivers eventually wear us down.
You and your team are not just pastors, staff members, volunteers, or ministry leaders. You are not just planning services, coordinating events, designing promotions, or building programs.
You are stewarding something eternal.
Jesus said in the Gospel of John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” That promise is not just for Sundays. It is for Mondays in the office. It is for planning meetings, creative sessions, deadlines, and decisions.
If we are not careful, even good things, like ministry work, church partnerships, and meaningful campaigns can begin to drive us in unhealthy ways. Slowly, we can shift from being purpose-driven to pressure-driven.
And there is a difference.
When pressure drives us, we feel
• Rushed
• Drained
• Reactive
• Never quite finished
But when purpose drives us, we feel
• Grounded
• Focused
• Steady
• Aligned
Colossians 1:16 reminds us that everything finds its purpose in Him. That includes you and your team. That includes every sermon, announcement, graphic, strategy session, and event you lead.
We were not created to chase every trend or meet every expectation. We were created to fulfill God’s purposes.
And those purposes are simple:
• Know Him.
• Grow in Him.
• Serve others.
• Share His message.
That is what gives meaning to what you do.
Romans 6:13 encourages us to offer ourselves fully to God. That includes our leadership, our creativity, our ideas, and our time.
When we give Him our work, it stops being just work. It becomes worship.
We do not have to carry the emotional weight of every outcome. We do not have to solve everything at once. Jesus teaches in the Gospel of Matthew 6:11 to ask for daily bread, daily provision, daily direction.
Just today’s grace. Just today’s clarity. Just today’s strength.
And as we walk in that daily dependence, we trust what Ephesians 3:20 promises: that God can do far more than we ask, think, or imagine. Even through a church team. Even through planning, communication, and storytelling. Even through us.
So today, let’s realign.
If you feel tired, overwhelmed, or stretched thin, remember this: you are not driven by deadlines. You are not driven by performance.
You are driven by purpose.
And when God directs your work, there is peace in the process, clarity in the calling, and eternal impact in the labor.
Let’s allow Him to guide, control, and direct us, one day at a time.
Adapted from “What’s Driving Your Life” by Rick Warren