Last week I wrote about how we, as Christians are called to be different. Originally I was going to combine that premise to what I’m writing about now–leadership.
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But as I started, it all got too long and fuzzy. So I decided to sit on this one for another week and split the two up. Today, I’ll continue the discussion, this time focusing on leadership.
Leadership is a beautiful thing. It’s something we all crave in one way or another. We crave to have control and be the leaders in our own lives, over others, to bask in the glow of recognition and importance. Or–we crave to be lead. We want someone to focus us, guide us, give us answers and lead us.
You see, naturally I’m drawn to be a leader. That’s why the notion of marriage was so hard for me to grasp for so long. I hated the idea of being led. My parents could probably tell you that that leadership quality made me a great student and a terrible child to rear. I didn’t even like being led by my parents–I wanted to do and do my way. Now, many years {and lots of grace} later I’ve learned that leadership isn’t just about control, or stubbornness, or doing things your way and no other way. I’ve learned that a great leader can also be led, and a strong individual needs to understand the beauty and importance of submission. {See how Jesus submits to the Father and the centurion–a leader himself–knew the importance of rank, and Paul describes the family order…}
I’ve thought about leaders lately. It might be the NPR, Derek’s job, my work with the youth group, or seeing brilliant teens work leading a 5-Day club in my yard. Who knows. So, I started to look at the Bible. At leaders in the Bible–particularly Jesus, but a few others as well. I studied them and paid attention to the things they had in common. And I discovered something. Leadership is less about control and glory and more about servant-hood.
It seems like an oxymoron. A servant leader.
But that is exactly what all the best leaders were. Servants.
They were most effective and at their best when they set their eyes on how to best serve, know and love people they were leading, while fulfilling their duties. We see Jesus {our prime example} do this over and over again. He knows the people He is leading. He knows their laws and their boring stuff. But He also knows them. And He chooses to love them. Like the famous “woman at the well.” Or the “wee little man” Zachaeous. Jesus knew Him, pursued him out of the tree and dined with Him.
Jesus clearly tells us to be great, to lead…we must first know how to serve. Mark 9:35 says:
…Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.
Another thing I found about servant leadership is that great Biblical leaders, even Jesus himself are real. They are down to earth and transparent with those they lead. Now, Jesus had no faults. So He couldn’t be transparent with those. But He set a clear example of submission for us to follow. He showed us what it meant to commune with the Father and be submissive to Him. {John 6:38-40}.
As we lead, we should never stop considering the lives and hearts of those we are leading. We should consider if there is a way to make their load lighter, their work more enjoyable, or a way the leader can better serve.
A leader should be wary of becoming prideful, remembering the needs of others–again becoming the servant. See Luke 22:25-27. Instead of loving control and importance, a great leader loves seeing his people move in the right direction.Instead of relying on his own strength and insight, we as leaders should constantly look to Christ and be humble before Him.
A great leader is always obedient to God. Knowing that God places those in authority. And He prizes obedience over great deeds and fame. It’s hard, but prayerfully attempt to be content if authority is taken from you and placed in someone else’s hands. A spirit of control is unbecoming on every one. 1 Samuel 15:22
What is more pleasing to the Lord:
your burnt offerings and sacrifices
or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
Leaders realize the value in teamwork. In sharing the load of a big vision with others God raises up. Think about the calling of the disciples, how they spread the Gospel after Christ’s resurrection and grew in number and force. {Mark 1:16-18;Acts 6:1-7; Acts 18:24-28}
I know there are lots of other good leadership qualities. There are more that are even Biblical qualities. But these are some that helped me those many, many months ago. As I said last week–we are called to be different. I believe we are called to lead. And anyone who can serve, can lead. In our lives, in whatever capacity we can, we are to point–to lead–to Christ and His lovely truth. I hope you’ll dig in to some of these verses. Heck, find some more to add to the list–then start putting them into practice. Step up as a leader in any fashion your life will allow. It might not be in the fanciest, most glamorous way…but we all have a platform we can use to lead–even a couple–to be different. Different isn’t lame, remember? It’s awesome. It’s eternal.
