Holy Ambition

Ambition – the word sounds a little unholy to my ears. Like I’m grabbing for too much. In my mind, it’s linked almost inextricably to greed and pride.

But here I am at an InterVarsity conference by that very name. 700 staff and students are gathered from around the country because we have the same ambition – to see God’s Kingdom come on every corner of every campus. And we’re learning to do that by planting new InterVarsity chapters, mobilizing missional students, and starting campus movements.

My Genetics major ears perked up at this illustration from a speaker last night – agricultural companies can genetically modify seeds to be sterile. Why would they do that? Well, they’ve genetically modified those seeds to have desirable qualities: disease or pest resistance, greater yield, nutrient density. If they don’t sterilize the breeding line, the farmers who buy them won’t have to buy them again. Some of those seeds could blow into the next field, and those neighboring farmers wouldn’t need to pay anything for those desirable qualities. And all of a sudden, they’ve given away their product.

Last night we were challenged that perhaps we’re creating chapters and students that can’t reproduce themselves because it’s more manageable and controllable. We’ve made our ministry more staff-dependent. We don’t make it an expectation of leadership, much less involvement, that you’ll not just replace yourself but multiply the work.

The perfectionist in me resonated with that. I want the students I work with to have a great experience. It seems noble, but it’s a little foolish – I didn’t have the “perfect” experience as a student. I had lots of staff change-up, weak church involvement, and didn’t soak up half of what I heard at the conferences and trainings I went to (and implemented even less). But I’m still growing in my walk with Jesus. And more than this idea being foolish, I think it’s blasphemous. I’m assuming I know what’s best, that I can create the best environment for students, that I can manage their spiritual growth. That I’m in charge. There’s the pride.

And while the speaker didn’t take it to this point, if I let loose with the good things InterVarsity has, some other ministry or leader will end up with them, and then InterVarsity and I won’t get the credit. I don’t want to give away the product. There’s the greed.

Thank God for a conference on ambition that is challenging the very greed and pride that has been tied to that word. Thank God that despite my sin-tinged motivations he is still at work through me and around me. And pray with me for open ears. That was a small part of last night. Today was more good stuff. And we’ve got another day and a half for God to purify and equip us for our ambition – to see God’s Kingdom come on every corner of every campus.