The Assignment or the Applause?

Every man must decide whether he'll live for the approval of people or remain faithful to the purpose God has given him. In this episode, KR Henderson challenges men to stop chasing recognition and start pursuing their assignment—because when the applause fades, purpose remains.

#SecondWindPodcast #TheAssignmentOrTheApplause #KRHenderson #WorkHarderOnYourself #PurposeOverPopularity #MensGrowth #ChristianMen #Leadership #FaithInAction #YoureNotLateYoureAssigned 
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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Champions. I heard a question recently that followed me home. I couldn't shake it. Not because it was a bad question. It was actually a very good question. But I kept thinking, is there another side to it? Why would you want to write a book? Why would anybody want to write a book? Why would you why would someone want a podcast? Why would you want to teach a class? The reason my eyebrows raised and I couldn't shake that question, or why I couldn't shake that question, is because I've spent years in corporate America working with some of the very successful companies. And during that time I noticed something. Promotions didn't happen overnight. They never have. Nowadays, folks want a promotion after three good Tuesdays, right? But the people who were eventually promoted had spent months, sometimes years, working alongside supervisors, managers, directors, VPs, and even corporate executives. Those leaders observed them. I mean, we watched them. We watched how they handled pressure. We watched how they manage their time. We actually watched how they treated people, whether they were consistent. The truth is, we spent time with these people. We worked with these people six months, a year, sometimes longer. I mean, to observe character and leadership, consistency, trying to figure out who they were. Then we promoted them. The truth is, many people were ready long before they ever received a promotion. Some of you know what I'm talking about. The company didn't promote them because they wanted to. Now, come in for a minute. Let me put this in Christiocentric terms for you. The kingdom works the same way. God doesn't assign people simply to elevate them. That's not the mission. He assigns them because the assignment benefits his vision and the body of Christ. People benefit, right? Families get better, marriages thrive, communities start coming together. You see what I'm saying? See, assignment is never just about the person carrying it, it's about the people who were meant to be served. Does that make sense? Here's something I've learned. And I want you to understand what I'm saying. Sometimes we don't know who's sitting in the room. My mentor used to always tell me, always know where you are or who you are in the room. See what I'm saying? There are people sitting in meetings, in organizations with gifts that haven't been recognized yet. Teachers, business leaders, mentors, counselors, coaches, even authors. Many women, many men who've life experiences could help someone else. And make no mistake, that's not a criticism. Not at all. No leader can know every gift that sits in front of them. You have to spend time with them. But it's a reminder that God often plants extraordinary gifts in ordinary seats. Sometimes the better question, sometimes really the better question or the best question, the more potent answer. You understand what I'm saying? So the better question here is isn't necessarily why you want your own class. Sometimes the better question is what gift has God already placed inside of you that the rest of us haven't discovered yet. It is the assignment. Not the applause. It's the assignment. And when I say applause, I mean the attention or likes. I mean I believe that's a fair question. Because some people are chasing money. I agree. Some do want popularity. Some follows, likes, clicks, but I don't believe that's the whole story, my good man. Sometimes it's what you're carrying, it's what you see. Because all the time it's not ambition. Sometimes, man, it's sometimes it's a burden, man. Sometimes it's gratitude, obedience. Sometimes it's something a person has been carrying for years. Whether really whether your gifts are recognized today or not. Don't abandon your post. I'm talking to men now. This is my really my entire conversation today. You know how, and I mean, you know how we are. Somebody starts doing something positive, and before long, somebody says, Who does he think he is? Right? That's what we do. Maybe he's just trying to be who God created him to be. Maybe that's who he is. And let me tell you the story about my first book. But before I do, let me let me say something. I've been doing some research on Ancestry.com and I found out that there were three ministers, I'm proud to say this, that were my grandfather's brothers. I never met my grandfather. Alright? I want you to understand. But three people were big ministers who came out of the church of God in Christ. And I'm in that line, I'm in that lineage. And I thought about it. I said, wow. Have I been sitting on my gift? Have I abandoned my post? But anyway, so let me tell you about my first book. Okay. That book was not about becoming an author. I never said I was gonna be an author. I didn't really care about it, to be honest with you. It was really my thank you letter to Orange Henderson. She told me all my life I could do whatever God wanted me to be. I could be that. And by the time I finished that book, mother had already gone on to be with the Lord. So in my heart, I handed it to her and said, Here you go, Mother. We did it. She never, she never taught me to chase applause. You know what she taught me? And and Daddy. She taught me to stay at my post. Be careful judging motives. You may see a book, right? You may see a book, but God sees gratitude. You may see a podcast, but God sees obedience. You may see a platform, but God sees something someone has been carrying for a long, long time. Assignment touches the soul. I believe that. And here's what nobody really talks about. One way you know it's assignment instead of applause is what happens inside you. I cried my first podcast. When it brings tears to your eyes, when it brings chills to your body, when it puts a smile on your face when there's nothing to smile about because something deep inside says, This is what I created you to do. Applause excites the ego, right? It probably does. But assignment grips the soul. You understand what I'm saying? And let me tell you, in my days of working on in the workforce, man, it was it was challenging a lot of days. But time taught me sometimes, every now and then, people will only see where you are. They won't be able to see anything else, but God sees where He's taking you. Some people saw a salesman, some people see a business owner, some people saw a sales manager, some people saw a Sunday school superintendent, a steward in the AME church. But God saw an assignment. I believe that. Sometimes we're looking at a person present. But you know what God's looking at? He's preparing their future. And maybe, I don't know. Maybe the better question is why do you want your own class? Maybe the better question is, what gift has God already placed inside of you? Because we know he's giving us something. But what is he giving you that the rest of us haven't discovered yet? And let me bring this back to second wind. Every man needs a place where he can put down the weight long enough to remember who he is. This is why Second Wind was born. It wasn't born for applause. Second wind was born for assignment. It was not born with a microphone. I keep saying that. It was born with a conversation I had with myself. Some conversations change your day, right? They can. That conversation changed my life. I truly believe that. But there were breadcrumbs, I tell people along the way. Those books to me were breadcrumbs. But I hope this changes yours because I knew I couldn't be the only man feeling behind after having children late and having purpose late. I couldn't be the only man becoming a father later. I couldn't be the only man discovering purpose later. This is why the mantra has always been you're not late, you're assigned. Because men carry weight differently. And it doesn't show up on a scale. We internalize, right? We compartmentalize. We stay quiet. We keep showing up while wondering if anybody notices what we're carrying. This is one reason men are likely or less likely to seek counseling. I want you to hear me, gentlemen. And far too often suffer in silence. And my personal opinion, I think every man over 50 should at least consider talking to someone you trust. I'm talking about an intimate, personal conversation. A counseling conversation, if necessary. I mean, if if that's what you feel like you need. I'm talking about a qualified counselor. Not because you're weak, man. No. Because we've carried enough, we've seen enough, we've heard enough. Now somebody might be thinking, KR, if that's true, then why did you start second win? Fair question. Somebody might say you just wanted applause. No, I just told you. Mother didn't, mother man, my parents taught me to live for other people's approval. She never taught me to live for that. She taught me to do what's right, whether anybody applauded or not. She's one of those mothers that didn't stand behind me when I was wrong. Some of you know the mom that I'm talking about. Somebody else might say you wanted followers. Hmm. Nah. Now when you already led in corporate sales teams, own businesses. I got that t-shirt in the house. Followers don't pay nearly as well as people think they do. Okay? Followers are never the goal. They're attracted to the gift. Somebody might say, You just wanted a microphone. Negative. Not hardly. I can tell you that. My mother stuck a microphone in my hand when I was a little boy. Christmas and Easter programs. Come on now. When I came home from college, I became the Sunday school superintendent at Payne Chapel AME Church, right there on Quidman and Gens. Corporate America gave me opportunities to teach, to stand up, to speak, to lead. I've had microphones most of my life, trust me. I wasn't praying, Lord, if you really love me, please give me another microphone. Come on, man. So if it wasn't applause, if it wasn't followers, if it wasn't the microphone, then why does second win exist? Gentlemen. Brothers. My good men. Applause is optional. Assignment is not. Don't abandon your post because nobody's clapping. Don't walk away, man, because somebody questioned your motives. Who cares? Don't bury your gifts, man, because it's not celebrated. If God gave you the assignment, stay at your post. Because your assignment was never dependent on applause. Never. This is K.R. Henderson with Second Win. You're not late, you're assigned.