You Always Live What You Believe (Whether You Know It Or Not)

This thought from Dallas Willard is a deep one that should give us all pause.

He said, “We always live what we believe. We just don’t always live what we profess we believe.”  

Pause for a moment and read that one more time. Now pause and consider this question.

What beliefs are you professing but not living?

Some leaders call this the integrity gap. In all of our lives there exists a gap between who we are and who we want to be. It’s an inconvenient truth. Rather than slipping into perfectionism and despair let’s remember the wisdom from Alcoholics Anonymous, “We are not where we want to be, but we are not where we were.” Life and leadership are about progress not perfection.

How do we close the gap? Never all at once. We close this integrity gap inch by inch by becoming aware of where the gaps are and addressing them with the same compassion and grace God does.

So again, what beliefs are you professing but not living? What would it look like to to do one small thing to start living them?

For example. I professed to be a grateful leader, but I never showed gratitude to others. Instead, I got a little too “high” on the praise and thanks of others. Even though I professed gratitude I was believing and living a need to be liked. So, I started writing three thank you notes on Mondays and intentionally encouraged one person verbally each week. The gap began to close one inch at a time.

“We always live what we believe. We just don’t always live what we profess we believe.”