The Achilles Syndrome: A Reflection on Ego
The Achilles Syndrome: A Reflection on Ego
15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.’"
Exodus 2:15
In the movie Troy, Achilles is a perfect warrior who, driven by the success of his own name, believed he could achieve anything he wanted. In the end, he realized it was all an illusion. It is fascinating to see how much Achilles was driven by his EGO. Watching the film, the thought that comes to mind is: how can he be so arrogant!
EGO has been man’s greatest enemy, especially in leadership.
According to Al Pacino, in The Devil’s Advocate, vanity is the leader’s favorite sin. We often see in leaders the desire to promote their own name. One subtle way this shows up is in how celebrity leaders in the U.S. respond to invitations, prioritizing major conferences and asking one of the main questions: "how many people will I be speaking to?" They want to reach as many people as possible in a short amount of time, because life is short. Judging their hearts is not the point, but trying to argue that this has nothing to do with ego is a weak case.
Jesus Christ’s strategy was never the crowd; during His earthly journey, it was exactly the opposite. He knew that relationship and time invested in a few would lead to solid multiplication. History bears that out!
As leaders, we need to constantly examine our egos and make sure where we stand. Look to the leadership of Jesus Christ and let that incredible strategy guide us. Jesus Christ’s strategy was to focus on the mission of restoring the relationship between people and God. He knew that was why He had come. May Jesus Christ be the foundation of our daily decisions and strategies. May our hearts not be set on building our own kingdom, but, like Jesus Christ, on the Kingdom of God.
Let us not allow the Achilles Syndrome to rule over us. Let us stop exalting our own names and exalt the NAME THAT IS ABOVE EVERY NAME.