Legendary Leaders: The Holy Grail

Nay, lord, I heard the sound, I saw the light,
But since I did not see the Holy Thing, I sware a vow to follow it till I saw.
Tennyson’s, The Holy Grail

[T]he shrine was suddenly filled with a fragrance at once so sweet and fresh that I thought of all the golden summer days I had known, and all the meadows of wildflowers ever ridden through, and every soft moonlight night breeze that ever drifted through my window. To look upon the cup was to sense an unutterable peace, whole and unassailable, the abiding calm of endless, enduring authority, vigilant and present—if unseen—and supreme in its strength.

It came into my mind that to hold the cup would be to possess, in part, this peace. I stepped nearer the altar and put out my hand. The light of the cup flared, and the image faded as my hand closed around it.

Steven Lawhead, Merlin: The Pendragon Cycle
(Volume Two),
Crossway Books, 1988) p. 128f

The quest for the Holy Grail--the mythical cup that Jesus was to have used during his last supper with his twelve disciples. There are many legends in the Arthurian tradition surrounding this chalice. Most of them tell of the Grail’s powers to give light, wisdom and healing to whomever drinks from it.

This Grail is in but not of this world: it represents the power of the Rescuing and Healing God who is both here with us and infinitely beyond us. The Holy Grail’s value is so immeasurable and our needs are so unfathomable that we intuitively know that it is only in discovering the Holy Grail that our souls shall be satisfied and our hearts healed.

Becoming a Legendary Leader encompasses far more than building organizations that are successful, or leaving a substantial estate to our children. In fact, each of us knows that we could experience unimaginable success in our careers but go to our graves miserable failures if we did not achieve what mattered most in life. Moreover, we know that, at the very least, leaving behind a legendary inheritance includes a life’s testimony that inspires the next generation toward those beliefs, values and virtues we most dearly cherish.

What Matters Most
If you could achieve everything you wanted in this life, if you could have all the wealth you have ever dreamed of having, all the material possessions you have ever fantasized about owning, and all of the outward marks of success that our culture values so highly--but never obtain the Holy Grail, would your success be enough for you?

Let us assume for a moment that God offered you the following deal.

The Promise: You can have everything your heart desires, including those things and experiences your conscience tells you are forbidden…that you can have anything and you can do anything you want in this life, and never ever feel guilty for it--not for all eternity.

The Catch: If God does this for you, then you will never ever see, hear or experience God himself—neither his light nor his love--for all eternity.

Would you take the offer?

Most people flinch at the very thought of being without God for all eternity, no matter what the so-called trade-off. Why? Because in their hearts they want to know God, they want to see God, they want to experience his light, life and love for all eternity—and, once they believe it truly possible, will be willing to make any sacrifice required of them on their journey in this world.

Our souls ache to connect with the divine. We know that we were made for God and are aware that there is a void in our lives that can only be filled by him. We know that there is no greater gift or more important relationship then to be united with him. We long for that spiritual peace that can only come from being right with him, and doing right by him.

It is this longing that spurs us on toward the Holy Grail. Even when we are experiencing great success, when we are alone with our thoughts we hope there is more “than this.”

Your Journey
One of the first stories I read of the Holy Grail was where Arthur and his Knights are sitting at the Round Table waiting for their meal. Arthur was concerned that his men were getting a bit soft, losing the sense of purpose and mission that had forged them all together years before. Finally, he announced that they were not going to eat until something magical occurred, something that would reawaken their vision.

After considerable time, the Holy Grail appeared before them, hovering in the air. As it floated around the table the Knights were in absolute awe, stunned by the miraculous apparition. Once the Grail disappeared, it was agreed upon that they would all go on a Quest to find this chalice.

At this point of the story, Sir Percivale said that while the Knights most definitely should go on the Quest, it would be ignoble if they went as a group. Rather, what they each should do is make their own way. And then, as the story is told, it is said that each Knight went to the deepest, darkest part of the forest they could find, where there were no other paths, and there they would enter and begin their Quest.

It was the same Quest (knowing the True God), the same Holy Grail (encountering the God who is Light, Life and Love), the same forest (God’s kingdom)…but different paths. It is the same for each of us. Each of our stories will have many similarities but are, at the same time, quite unique. Your path to the Grail will be your path. You will learn from the journeys of others, but at the end of the day, your Quest will take a unique path.

Legendary Leaders understand that they must grow as individual humans or they will end their journeys having gained the world but lost their souls. Moreover, they know that they cannot achieve the growth they desire without the God of Life infusing and empowering their efforts.

You are not your job description. You are not solely defined by your vocation. If you lost your job tomorrow you would not lose your self: or would you? If you would, then you may wish to consider going on a Quest in search of the Grail.

Becoming Your Name
I once read that each of us has two names: the one that was given us at birth, and the one we earn by who we are and what we do throughout our life. While they bear the name given them at birth, others name Legendary Leaders “Visionary,” “Wise,” “Just,” “Compassionate,” “Courageous,” or “Prophetic.” What is the name your life is earning for you?

There is a beautiful picture of our journey that reads like something written by one of the great writers of Fantasy. In St. John’s book, Revelation, he writes that when we arrive in heaven we will be given a white stone with our name written on it: a name no one knows but God. This is your Quest. You are becoming that name. Your life is a living letter, an evolving story. You are the central character in your story: the hero.

Imagine: As the story begins, your counselor has diagnosed you as being delusional. You constantly speak of needing to go somewhere you have never been, of seeing faraway places in your mind’s eye, of feeling out of place and not fitting in your surroundings. It’s not a physical place you are looking for but a metaphysical place, a spiritual place.

You are constantly being overwhelmed with the feeling that there is another “you” struggling within to reveal his or her self. What makes the story particularly intriguing is that you have amnesia. Hearing that there is a doctor who can help you, you have come to this person for counsel.

During one of your sessions, your counselor mentions this fabulous, unbelievable tale. She doesn’t believe it is true but thinks it might be a helpful metaphor. It appears that there is a King who lives on top of a mountain who knows you and knows your name. The challenge is going to be to get to the top of the mountain.

At the bottom of the mountain is a raging fire. It is a very strange fire. At the beginning of the path the fire is an external fire that is, at times, excruciatingly painful and difficult to get through. However, once you do, the fire is absorbed into your soul where it will then empower you for the rest of your journey. The fire at the bottom of the mountain purges away all that is not the individual you are to become. The fire that flames within gives you the power to take charge of your journey and to do whatever it takes to meet the King on top of the mountain.

Your journey will include finding lost treasures, slaying dragons, encountering other true and noble knights along the way. As you travel this path, you will increasingly become more whole, more fully a human filled with the divine. Your journey ends with God giving you your name: a name that utterly and comprehensively defines, explains and expresses who you have become.

I believe this King eternally exists, and that his name is Jesus Christ. The fire on the mountain and the one that burns within is the Holy Spirit he sent to the earth. However, you must find out for yourself who the True God is: for while the faith of others may inspire us for brief moments, the better part of the journey requires that you see the True God for yourself.

Transformation
In seeking the Holy Grail we are seeking to encounter the divine and to be transformed in the seeking and finding. We want to see the God who is Light and to reflect something of his Light. We want to be healed and made whole by the God who is Love and to share that love with the world around us. We want to be transformed by a living union with the transcendent God.

Maybe you are not a follower of Christ and do not use these exact metaphors, but the sentiment behind them expresses your heart’s deepest desire. Success in your career is not enough, material possessions will not satisfy, and the accolades of the world mean nothing—compared to your need to know and experience God.

The reality of the human condition is that we become what or whom we most seek after: you are what you worship.

• Do you worship fame or the Famous One?
• Do you trust in your own works or the Works of God on your behalf?
• Is your greatest treasure your net worth or your deepening relationship with the God who is of eternal worth?
• Do you bow before a god who is nothing more than cosmic intelligence or the True God who is Love?

Maybe you cannot as yet answer any of these questions. However, if you desire to answer them, if your heart resonates with the awareness that such questions must be answered, it is time to begin your Quest in earnest.

copyright Monte E Wilson, 2007