Have you ever been hesitant to call yourself a leader? I know I have. Partly because the minute you put yourself out there in such a position, negative people of the world will start to try to pull you down. They don’t focus on your good qualities and positive contribution. They immediately go to your short comings and downfalls in an attempt to discredit your message.
Now, I realize this has everything to do with them. But, it is unpleasant nonetheless. I think we then become trained to do the same things to ourselves. I know all the ways I screw up. Inevitably, when I begin to think of myself as a leader of people, I think “I can’t do that. I have x,y,z that I still don’t do right or well.
How could I possibly be a leader?” I speak to myself in the same ways as those negative people in the world trying to bring us down. Instead of focusing on all the things I do well, on all the blessings that flow in and through me, I go directly to the “bad”. Intellectually I know that if having imperfections and lingering struggles prevented us from being leaders, there would be no leaders. We are all imperfect. My heart, however, wasn’t so convinced.
In service this weekend, a part of the message was on leadership. The greatest leaders in the history of the world all had something in common. They felt unworthy for their calling. God’s message to Joshua was this “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9. Our speaker pointed out that great leadership begins with “being”. We are instructed to “be strong and courageous”. Leadership is founded in who we are in our hearts. It is not a checklist against which we measure ourselves.
The second point hit home even more. Our speaker said,
“There are two components that make up great leaders: 1. their experience and 2. their connection to God.”
Wow! That takes so much pressure off. The “leadership” position we are all awarded is to share our experience, our passion, our heart, our vision. Simply sharing was we receive is our role as a leader. Sometimes our leadership roles, however, seem so big that we get completely overwhelmed and feel totally unworthy. I know I have these feelings. This is why this message was so helpful.
The truth is that no person alone is fit to be a leader. We are all imperfect and fallible and subject to being misguided. Therefore, my job is to nurture and cultivate my connection to God. It is to stay out of the whirlwind of life, build a foundation independent of the world’s opinion of me, remain in stillness, allow myself to be prepared and led and let God do the rest. Whew, that seems so much more manageable!
Leadership is not about what I do but what I allow God to do through me as I grow closer to Him. It is about obedience, humility, love and joy. It is not the inflation of ego but the setting aside of our way so that we allow ourselves to be used according to our higher calling. This is the nature of a great leader and a life lived with joy.
If you found this article helpful, you’ll love the advice you’ll find in Divorce with Joy – A Divorce Attorney’s Guide to Happy Ever After.
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