March Series: From Principle to Practice

Kim Levings
12 minutes ago
5 min read

Last month, we explored four powers that define Kingdom leadership: surrender, stillness, stewardship, and redemptive vision. These aren't abstract concepts—they're the actual sources of transformative leadership.

But here's the question I keep hearing: "Yes, but HOW? How do I live this out when my current reality doesn't match my calling? When I'm stuck in a job that doesn't align with where I know God is leading me—but I can't just quit?"

That's what the March blog will address - The gap between principle and practice. Between Sunday inspiration and Monday's grind. Between knowing what Kingdom leadership looks like and actually living it when the calendar is full and the calling feels distant.

This reminds me of what I used to say through all my years of training leaders – “What sounds easy to understand and even practice in the training room is difficult to actually do back in the office tomorrow…

Let's start with the most disorienting tension of all: when your calling doesn't match your calendar.

Episode 1: When Your Calling Doesn't Match Your Calendar

The Mismatch

You know where God is calling you. You can feel it. See it. Maybe you've even started preparing for it.

But right now? You're in a job that you think and feel doesn't fit. A role that feels misaligned. A season that looks nothing like what you thought this chapter would be.

And you can't just leave. The bills are real. The responsibilities are real. Walking away isn't an option—or at least not a wise one. It feel irresponsible to just walk way, especially if you are a parent and provider.

You think you're stuck. Not in the "I've settled" way. In the "I'm being faithful,

but this is hard" way.

The question isn't whether to endure. It's how to stay present, faithful, and whole while you're in the gap.

Faithful in the Not-Yet

Joseph knew something about this.

Sold into slavery by his brothers. Falsely accused. Thrown into prison. Years passed. The dream God gave him—the vision of leadership and influence—felt like a cruel joke while he rotted in an Egyptian dungeon.

But here's what Joseph did in the gap: he was faithful where he was.

In Potiphar's house, he stewarded what he'd been given with such excellence that he was put in charge of everything. In prison, same story. He didn't phone it in. He didn't just survive. He led well in the place he didn't want to be.

And when the time came, when Pharaoh needed someone to steward a nation through famine, Joseph was ready. Not because the prison prepared him—but because his faithfulness in the prison revealed him.

The calling you're preparing for? It's being shaped right now in the job you didn't choose. My pastor preached a powerful sermon on this and reminded me that a dream isn’t dead, it’s being developed.

Excellence in Exile

Daniel faced a similar gap. Captured. Taken to Babylon. Forced into service for a pagan king whose values opposed everything Daniel believed.

He could have checked out. Done the minimum. Waited for rescue.

Instead, he became indispensable. He brought Kingdom values into a broken system. He didn't compromise his faith, but he also didn't withhold his excellence.

When I made the life-changing decision to sell up everything, close my business, and move back to South Africa – I was left in the “in between” and chose to be a ride share driver to pay the bills. But every morning, even on those days scraping ice off my windshield at 6am, I reminded myself that I would work as unto the Lord. I would honor him in every conversation, every ride, every choice. Now, when I look back, I find myself even missing those days I had during a period of “exile.”

"Excellence in exile" is the phrase that captures this tension. You're not where you want to be. Choose to refuse to be less than who God made you to be while you're where you are.

This isn't about "settling." It's about stewarding. Every role you occupy—wanted or not—is an opportunity to represent the Kingdom well.

What Kingdom Alignment Actually Means

Here's the reframe:

Kingdom alignment isn't about having the right job. It's about bringing the right posture to whatever job you have.

You can be Kingdom-aligned as a barista, an accountant, a middle manager, or a ministry leader no one's heard of. Alignment isn't about title or platform. It's about how you show up. I’ve said it so many times, God cares less about what job you have, than how you do it. He cares less about who you marry, than how you do marriage.

Surrender looks like releasing the timeline you wanted and trusting God's. Stillness looks like finding margin even in the chaos of a job you're outgrowing. Stewardship looks like giving your best to what's in front of you, even when you'd rather be somewhere else. Redemptive leadership looks like investing in people around you, regardless of how temporary the season feels.

The calling doesn't disappear when the calendar doesn't cooperate. It just gets practiced in unexpected places.

The Tension You Must Hold

Don't hear me wrong: I'm not saying stay stuck forever. I'm not romanticizing unnecessary suffering or telling you to ignore what God is stirring in you.

There's a real tension here, and you have to hold both sides:

Be faithful where you are — AND — prepare for where you're going.

Don't check out of today because you're dreaming about tomorrow. But don't stop dreaming about tomorrow just because today is hard.

Bloom where you're planted — while you're watching for the next season's growth.

Three Questions to Navigate the Gap

Am I being faithful—or just enduring?
Enduring is survival mode. Faithfulness is active presence. One drains you. The other shapes you.
What is this season teaching me that I'll need later?
No season is wasted if you're paying attention. The skill, the patience, the character being formed right now—you'll use it.
Am I preparing in the present for what's next?
Joseph wasn't just surviving prison. He was building the leadership muscles he'd need to run a nation. What are you building while you wait?

The Truth About the Gap

The gap between calling and calendar isn't a detour. It's preparation.

Joseph didn't waste his years in prison. Daniel didn't waste his time in Babylon. And you won't waste this season if you refuse to just survive it.

Kingdom alignment isn't contingent on having the perfect job. It's possible right here, right now, in the role that doesn't fit yet—if you choose faithfulness over frustration.

Stay present. Lead well. Trust the process.

The calling is still real. And this season is shaping you for it.