What Time Zone Are You Living In?

I live in two time zones. Sometimes three, depending on the season and which continent I've landed on. My calendar looks like a small air traffic control tower — Apple Clock has a permanent row of cities pinned to it, Google Calendar booking schedules save my brain from all the calculations, and make it easier for clients. But this week, reading through the books of Samuel, I ran into a different kind of time zone problem. Not geography this time — history.

In 1 Samuel 12:20–25, Samuel gives his farewell address to Israel. He has led them faithfully. He is stepping back. And in this speech, he does something leaders often avoid: he names the failure plainly. "You have done all this evil," he tells them. Their turning from God, their demand for a king out of fear rather than faith — it was real, and it was wrong.

And then, in the same breath, he moves them forward: "Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart... turn not aside after empty things."

No wallowing. No denial. Just: here is what was true, and here is what is true now — serve the Lord today, with what you have, where you are.

That's a leadership move worth studying.

The Time Travel Problem

Here's what I've noticed, both in my own thinking and in that of the leaders I coach: our greatest anxieties rarely come from the present moment itself. They come from time travel. We are either replaying the past or rehearsing the future — and both trips rob us of the only place we can actually lead from, which is the now.

David Guzik, in the Enduring Word commentary on this passage, puts it sharply: "Satan loves it when we live in the past or the future, when we do anything but serve the Lord with all we have right now."

That's not just a spiritual observation. It's an operational one. A leader who is mentally litigating last quarter's failure, or anxiously war-gaming a threat that hasn't materialized, is not fully present to the team, the decision, or the opportunity in front of them.

But it's not just when we time travel that matters — it's also how we see ourselves when we get there. There's a second axis running underneath the past/future problem: the axis between thinking too little of ourselves and thinking too much.

Put the two together, and you get four zones leaders quietly drift into:

• Past + Think too little of yourself — Regret, guilt, shame. The failed launch, the mismanaged conflict, the season you led poorly. You know it's over, but it hasn't let go of you.

• Past + Think too much of yourself — False confidence, romanticizing, misremembering. The "we used to be so much better than this" story that conveniently forgets how hard-won that "better" actually was. As Les Brown says, “used-to-be's make no honey.”

• Future + Think too little of yourself — Fear, uncertainty, avoidance. The decision you keep deferring because you're not sure you're capable of getting it right.

• Future + Think too much of yourself — Unrealistic expectations, pride, self-reliance. The plan built on your own strength, with no margin for needing God — or your team — at all.

Every one of these zones has the same effect: it pulls you out of today.

Choosing the Zone You Live In

Samuel's exhortation cuts through all four. Not "fix the past" or "guarantee the future" — just: serve the Lord today, with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul.

That's a daily, repeatable choice, and it comes down to three swaps:

1. Christ identity, instead of self-focus. Your worth and your next move aren't built on your own track record — good or bad.

2. Reality, instead of false perception. Not the inflated past, not the catastrophized future — what's actually true, right now.

3. Trust in God, instead of trying to control outcomes — or the people around you.

None of this means ignoring the past or refusing to plan for the future. It means refusing to live there. The past can inform you. The future can be planned for. But only the present can be served.

Reflection for Leaders

• What failures, setbacks, or mistakes of the past are you still focused on — and is that focus teaching you, or trapping you?

• Where are you losing footing in the present? Is it tied to a fear of the future, or a regret from the past?

• As a leader, are you living for what you actually influence right now — trusting that God is sufficient for today's demands, not just tomorrow's?

Past mistakes can either teach you or trap you. Choose wisely.

Being anxious about the future robs you of the present.

How will you swap fear for faith — starting today?

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🌟If you feel trapped by thought patterns that hold you back, consider getting coaching with me for a few months to get you back on track. Email me today and let's set up a time to connect.