I have had the privilege of getting to know hundreds of technical leaders from all over the country the past few years. While everyone is different, there are a number of common characteristics we share as technical artists, not the least of which is that we like to plan. We want to know what is coming up not only this weekend, but the next two or three. I know a guy who was getting anxious toward the end of October because his input list for Christmas wasn't done yet! Ok, that was me. I may be a fringe case…
Still, we love to plan. And most of us work really hard. We work hard not simply because the work is hard, though it is sometimes; we work hard mostly because we care so deeply about the results. We work like we have the opportunity to see lives changed—and we do! But what's tricky about the work we do is that while we do indeed have an important role to play, the final results are up to God.
A few weeks ago, I was reading through Proverbs 21 in the Message. I love how practical Eugene Peterson made the entire book of Proverbs. The last verse in the chapter stood out to me, and as I read it, I thought, “This should be on a plaque in every tech booth.” It reads:
“Do your best, prepare for the worst—then trust God to bring the victory.”
If that doesn't encapsulate what we do, I don't know what does! Our entire role as a technical artist can be summarized in that verse.
Do your best. This is not about excellence, perfection or punching a perfect show. It's about doing your level best, giving it all you have and going all in. What that looks like will be different for all of us. But we can all do our best.
Prepare for the worst. Stuff happens. Mic's will fail, lights will burn out, equipment will break at the most inopportune time. Have a plan for when it does. This is not an “if” scenario, it's a “when.” Bad things will happen. If you have a plan, you can recover more quickly and do so more gracefully.
Trust God to bring the victory. So often we feel like the results are up to us. If 10 people don't get saved in a service, we beat ourselves up over the mix, or the lighting or the visuals. But that part is not up to us. Our job is to present the Gospel in as clear and compelling a manner as possible, then trust God to use it as He sees fit. He is the one who changes hearts. He is the one who draws those who are far near. He will bring the victory.
A friend of mine said it this way recently: “Pray like it's all up to God; work like it's all up to you.” We live in this tension every day. It's as challenging as it exciting. Which is probably why we love it so much.
