Enduring Legacy

What became of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance after it sunk beneath the ice in the Weddell Sea? After 107 years, we finally know the resting place of that famous ship whose notoriety is amplified by the courage and survival of Shackleton and his expedition. In December 1914 the crew began their journey to Antartica with the goal of traversing the white continent on land. However, their reinforced ship Endurance became trapped in an ice floe on February 25, 1915. After waiting out winter a turning point for the expedition came in October 1915 as the ice began to melt. Rather than freeing their ship, pressures from the shifting ice forced the ship onto its side and breached its hull. Shackleton, as leader of the expedition, revised his plans of traversing the continent of Antartica dramatically. His new objective was focused solely on the rescue of those who had entrusted their lives to him.

How will leaders over the past few years be remembered in 100 years? Most leaders have been forced to revise their plans. Regardless of whether they were leading a billion dollar corporation or a flock of God’s children, they were forced to reorient their goals. Proverbs 3:9 reminds us "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” Leaders need to take this wise saying to heart and apply it to our lives. We must pray constantly for God’s guidance and wisdom to recognize the steps He established. We must have the humility to follow the steps God has established rather than stubbornly and proudly trying to enforce our own will in every situation. We must accept that our best laid plans may not coincide with God’s and reorient our goals toward His. We must bravely take steps knowing that some of them will be missteps because we are only human. We must ask for patience and forgiveness of those we lead when our missteps have consequences we did not foresee. If we do those things, then in 100 years people will judge us based on our ability to focus on what is truly important rather than missing those lofty human goals. May we never lose sight of that greatest of goals, protecting and rescuing those souls entrusted to us.