Weekly Impact is written for leaders by our former Executive Director, Garth Jestley, who has decades of experience in senior leadership roles in the financial services sector. Each week he will share insights on life, leadership and faith.
This Weekly Impact post will be my last for the time being.
For three years, it’s been my privilege and joy to share certain aspects of my life journey every week. My central theme has been the relevance of faith in God in my professional and personal life. While my passion for this theme is undiminished, a few days ago I sensed God wanted this Weekly Impact blog to be my last for now.
Through prayer and conversation, Mary and I have satisfied ourselves this quiet nudge was indeed from God. We don’t know exactly why, since we have not yet received guidance concerning any new involvements or initiatives. We simply know this is His timing. A modern paraphrase of Paul’s words to the church in Rome seems particularly apt: “God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!” Now we need to quiet ourselves to hear His beckoning!
My final contribution to Weekly Impact is the subject of truth, which links naturally to my last few posts concerning big lies widely believed. My encouragement to all marketplace leaders, both followers of Jesus and those who are not yet his followers, is simple to state but not as simple to live. Always pursue truth and let it inform our thinking, speaking and acting – whatever the cost.
We live in confusing times. On the one hand, many (particularly in academia) maintain there are no absolute truths. You have yours, I have mine. The other night, I watched a television program during which the host encouraged an interviewee to pursue his truth, as though truth is subjective rather than objective. Besides the logical fallacy surrounding postmodernism (there is no absolute truth except the absolute truth that there is no absolute truth!), no one in the real world lives her or his life as though there is no absolute truth.
On the other hand, as previously noted, some maintain we are now in the post-truth era. This philosophy acknowledges objective truth but maintains that it is subordinate to one’s personal feelings and preferences. In my opinion, both philosophies (postmodern and post-truth) are rabbit trails that result in confusion, discord and, ultimately, emptiness.
For me, my big questions concerning purpose and destiny were satisfied in my mid-thirties when I encountered Jesus. In the Bible, Jesus at one point defines himself as the truth. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, we have limited options regarding Jesus’ assertion. Either he’s a lunatic, a liar or God in the flesh. For millions around the world and down through the centuries, Jesus is not only a truth teller but the very embodiment of truth.
As one who led an investment company where due diligence investigation was a core discipline, I have found the person and claims of Jesus completely reliable. If you are a marketplace leader seeking after truth and, in particular, the relevance of faith in God in your professional and personal life, I encourage you to join a LeaderImpact group where you will find supportive peers actively pursuing this issue.
Garth Jestley is a husband, father, grandfather, leader and business executive. Most importantly, he is a follower of Jesus Christ.