After a very, very long and hard night, I had an incredible practice with my builder. I had not slept all night and it was very late his time. There is a 12 hour time difference between us…BUT/AND we have never let that get in our way of practice. This writing is my writing from our practice:
There is a line we all cross – – – quietly, often unwillingly – – – where what we are going through stops being something to endure and becomes something we are meant to walk. That line is the difference between a trial…and a trail.
The world tells us trials are interruptions. Obstacles. Detours from the life we were supposed to live. But the Gospel says something far more dangerous – – – AND far more hopeful AND true: the trial is the way.
The Gospel of John gives us the clearest framing. Jesus does not say, “I will show you the way.” He says, “I am the way.” AND where does that way lead Him? Not around suffering. Not over it. But straight through it – – – to the cross.
This is where most men break. Because we want a map or a plan that avoids pain. Jesus gives us Himself – – – AND walks directly into it.
The Garden of Gethsemane is NOT a side story. It is the model. Jesus, fully aware of what is coming, says, “If it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” That is honesty. Brutal honesty. That is reality. That is the human heart under pressure. But then comes the turn – – – the moment that separates boys from builders:
“Yet not my will, but Yours be done.”
That is the cosmic shift. That is where the trial becomes the trail.
In Built to Lead terms this is CORE under fire – – – this is CORE in the crucible. Your worldview is no longer theoretical – – – it is being tested against reality. Your identity is no longer what you say in a calm room or type on a computer screen – – – it is who you are when everything in you wants to quit. Your principles are no longer preferences – – – they are the line you either hold or abandon. Your purpose is no longer a statement – – – it is the reason you take the next step when there is no emotional fuel left (know your why, know your way, remember?).
Jesus does not remove the pressure. He reveals what pressure is for. Pressure is not punishment. It is revelation.
On the trail to Golgotha, Jesus is mocked, beaten and abandoned – – – by every one. Everything that looked like “failure” by worldly standards was, in fact, perfect alignment and oneness with the Father. The trial did not derail the mission. The trial was the mission.
We spend most of our lives asking, “How do I get out of this?” The Gospel reframes the question: “What if this is the path?”
You see it again in Gospel of Matthew when Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” There is no ambiguity in that statement. None. Zero. The cross is not metaphorical discomfort. It is the instrument of death. And yet, He calls it the way to life. This is where each of us MUST make a decision.
Do you believe that truth corresponds with reality – – – even when that reality hurts? Or do you retreat into a version of truth that only works when things are easy?
Because the trail is narrow…AND it runs directly through your greatest resistance (thank you JohnR, KittyA and SteveP – – – the obstacle is the way, remember?).
Every man I have ever fought alongside hit this moment. The burnout. The doubt. The quiet voice that says, “This shouldn’t be this hard.” AND underneath it, the deeper question: “Am I on the wrong path?”
No, you are NOT. You might be on the only path that matters.
The disciples did not understand this in real time. They saw the trial and assumed defeat. It was only after the resurrection that they realized they had been walking the trail all along. What looked like the end was the way through.
This is the pattern: Death equals Resurrection. Trial equals Trail. Surrender equals Power.
Your life is not exempt from this. It is defined by it. So the question is not whether you are in a trial. You are. The question is whether you recognize it as the trail.
Because when you do – – – everything and EVERY THING – – – changes.
You stop asking, “Why is this happening to me?” and start asking, “What is this forming in me?” You stop trying to escape the pressure and start letting it forge you. You stop waiting for clarity before you move and start moving because you trust the One who is the way.
This is not motivational. This is open heart surgery (The heart of leadership is the heart of the leader, thank you, BillL). Because the truth is most men NEVER make this shift. They spend their lives circling the mountain, trying to avoid the very thing that would transform them.
But the builder steps forward. Slowly. Intentionally. Under control.
She understands something most do not: The trial is not in the way. The trial is the way.
AND if you can see it – – – if you can walk it – – – you will find that what you thought was breaking you… was actually building you into something unbreakable.
That is the Gospel.
And that is the work.
Do the work.
Amen.
PS Pontius Pilate handed down the verdict and the punishment. Guilty. Death. BUT the verdict was appealed. The Highest Court made the final verdict. The Resurrection of Truth. The verdict was overturned. Redemption. Life.
He is risen.
Matthew 28:6
Truly.
BUILT TO LEAD 