LEADING WITH LEANING

Strength to me is not always the same as self-reliance. Some would regarding leadership as the type of strength that isn’t dependent on others. Yet I do wonder about the credibility of such a point of view.

It is true that leadership requires the ability to make decisions. That is to be the one who accepts responsibility for the consequences. If they are good you get the glory, if they are bad you get the blame. But at no point does a leader generally lead without some followers. Otherwise it wouldn’t be leading in reality would it?

There are all kinds of leaders. That includes the dictators with their “my way or no way” concept. They often lead by intimidation and forcing their will on others. Some people seem to respond best to that kind of determination. But it doesn’t always mean it is successful in its goals.

However the politician type of leadership doesn’t always work either. That is the one where the person leads by gaining the support and cooperation of others. Sometimes it is more popular, but doesn’t always mean in the end that it is more successful.

Regardless of the style, no one can lead without occasionally needing to also be lead. Such as no one can as a rule be a good teacher who isn’t also a good student. How can you teach others if you can be taught yourself? A trite question perhaps, but still the truth from my point of view.

What I am headed for with this posting is the idea of first the real role of a spiritual shepherd with a flock. There are all kinds that is for sure. And there are all kinds of sheep. Too often some of the sheep end up more like wolves or secretly think they should be the shepherd. That seems to be a quality of ministry and churches you don’t find as often in other organizations in my opinion. And given the fact that we are suppose to be a spiritual “army” of sorts, it is sad and odd how first of all the foot soldiers debate over the officers orders and often end up shooting the wounded.

But through it all the one thing I have come to appreciate is that a spiritual leader is also human. They have good and bad qualities, but are not perfect. However, above all they also need as a spiritual leader to have been God’s choice and anointed by the Holy Spirit in the process.

The other night I was watching television and came across this one spiritual program. The leader of this group had passed away and now in his place his wife had assumed the roll of his office. Perhaps this was God’s will, I’m not going to pretend to know for sure, but it just didn’t personally have a “feel” if you will on a spiritual level of being the Lord’s idea. I’m not saying his wife couldn’t be called of God. It just for me had the sense of it being a token response out of memory for the real leader. Thus instead of letting God bring a new leader of his choosing into the situation, they settle for what was “safe.” And in the process his work would obviously suffer.

To lead without truly leaning upon God’s pillar of truth is not real leadership in my opinion. It is to give sanction to one’s own selfish desires rather than God’s will. Sometimes the hardest part of leading can be it seems knowing when you really do need to simple lean upon him for guidance.