This Is Not About You - Pt 3

It's Okay to Pay the Price With Joy

This is the final part of the “This Is Not About You” series—and maybe you’re breathing a sigh of relief! Perhaps my next article should focus on how awesome you are and offer a bit more encouragement.

Hope you enjoy…

“Pay the price. Do it with joy. Quietly. Privately. Working. Pushing… delivering.” - Craig Groeschel

I first received these words in a personal note from Pastor Craig congratulating me on becoming the President of The King’s University. It was a brief, closing thought at the end of a heartfelt letter, but those few words carried a weight that would profoundly shape my approach to leadership from that moment on.

Pay the Price…With Joy

This simple sentence reshaped my understanding of leadership. It reminded me that leadership isn’t something to receive—it’s something to give. Along with that reminder came a sobering realization: leadership comes with a cost. It requires sacrifice. Yet, Pastor Craig’s words carried a deeper invitation—to embrace that cost with joy. Why joy? Because the work I was stepping into wasn’t about my own benefit; it was for the Lord. And when our work is for Him, even the hardest tasks can be done with a joyful heart.

Paul’s words in James 1:2-3 echo this truth: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” Leadership isn’t easy, but it’s in those hard moments that we are refined and strengthened. Joy doesn’t come from avoiding the struggle; it comes from knowing that God is working through it all for His purposes.

And then there was the hard part: Quietly. Privately. Those words hit me like a gut punch. Seriously? So, I’m supposed to pour everything I have into this work, give my best effort, push through the challenges—and no one might ever notice? Just like the horse in that picture, pulling it one more mile, am I willing to pull my weight, even if I’m never seen doing it? That was tough to swallow. It confronted something deep in me: a longing for recognition, a need to be seen and appreciated. If I’m honest, it exposed an orphan heart inside me, one that craved affirmation and validation.

But here’s the beauty: embracing joy transforms even these hard truths. Joy doesn’t depend on the applause of others; it comes from knowing that God sees every moment. As Paul says in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” When our focus shifts to the Lord, joy becomes a choice we can make—even in the quiet, unseen work.

Here’s the hard truth: many leaders wrestle with an orphan heart, often without even realizing it. If you want to know whether a leader has an orphan heart, just take a quick scroll through their social media feed. It reveals a lot. Are they seeking to build others up, or are they subtly—and sometimes not so subtly—seeking to build themselves up? Too often, leaders look for joy in the wrong places—chasing likes, comments, and validation from others online, thinking that external approval will fill an internal void. But it never does. True joy can’t be found in applause or metrics; it comes from the steady, faithful work of serving God, knowing that His approval is all that truly matters.

That quote wasn’t just a closing sentence in a personal letter—it became a call to a deeper, more joyful kind of leadership. A call to work, to give, and to push forward with a heart full of gratitude and trust in the Lord. Joy doesn’t eliminate the hard parts of leadership, but it transforms them, reminding us that every step—even the unseen ones—is worth it when we’re doing it for His glory. And that’s a price worth paying.

As Nehemiah 8:10 reminds us, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” Let that joy carry you through the challenges, guide you in the quiet moments, and fill your heart with purpose as you lead faithfully—even when no one is watching.