Weary Traveler...

Servant Leader, this morning during my workout I was stopped by one of the songs on my playlist—Weary Traveler by Jordan St. Cyr. I’ve heard it dozens if not hundreds of times, but this morning it hit differently.

Weary traveler

Beat down from the storms that you have weathered

Feels like this road just might go on forever

Carry on

You keep on giving

But every day this world just keeps on taking

Your tired heart is on the edge of breaking

Carry on

[Chorus]

Weary traveler, restless soul

You were never meant to walk this road alone

It'll all be worth it, so just hold on

Weary traveler

You won't be weary long

Now, typically I hear this song and connect it to Hebrews 12 and Galatians 6…

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the [a]author and [b]finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.  (Galatians 6:9)

But that’s only part of the story. Sure, scripture reminds us to persevere. That’s an important aspect of our walk as servant leaders. But that song hit differently today.

It reminded me that, no matter where we are in our walk, in our work, and in our lives – we’re not alone.

Jordan St. Cyr sings it in the chorus, and we can adopt that line in the chorus of our own lives.

Now, you might be asking yourself, “Mark, what does this have to do with GovCon?”

Well, I’m glad you asked.

In GovCon, we call it “Collaboration”. It’s when we admit we may not be the smartest person in the room, that we may not have the bandwidth to do it all ourselves, and that we are willing to share both the burden and the credit with a team. As popularized by Aristotle and Euclid…

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

So, when St. Cyr is singing about carrying the burdens of this world alone, he reminded me that I work with a team of highly skilled, perfectly qualified, and eager professionals with whom I regularly collaborate – and the result is greater than the sum of our individual parts. None of us could do this alone. And thank God, we don’t have to.

So, while Jesus isn’t going to come and advance your opportunity straight to award – I can only imagine (different song). He is reminding you that He has given you a supporting team willing and able to help bear your burden to the benefit of you, your company, and your customer.

After all, isn’t that what Servant Leadership is all about – benefitting the customer?

So, the next time you hear Jordan St. Cyr belting out Weary Traveler on the radio, take it for what it is – a reminder that God has given each of us a sum of parts greater than we can be individually.

In work.

In worship.

In life.

Collaborate, Servant Leader. You were never meant to walk this road alone.

Photo courtesy of goodchristianmusic.com