It’s Tough Being a Leader

‘...If God has given you leadership ability...’ Romans 12:8 NLT

Pastor, you know you’re having a really bad day when you finally remember the name of the person you promised to visit in the hospital-while reading the obituaries; you can’t find the book of Obadiah while leading a Bible study; your treasurer sends you a postcard from Rio; you are informed that the youth group used steel wool sponges for the car wash; at a wedding, you call the groom by the bride’s former boyfriend’s name; your personal parking spot gets relocated-to a restaurant half a mile away; you preach the same sermon for the second week, and nobody notices; the church votes to change your day off to Sunday. Seriously, if God has given you leadership ability, remember what sets great leaders apart. First, they’re facilitators. They realise that nobody will ever be what they ought to be until they’re first doing what they ought to be doing, and that the way to fulfil your calling is to help others discover and fulfil theirs. Second, they’re courteous. They never look down or talk down. They don’t have one set of manners for important people and another for the less important. To them, everybody is important because everybody has God-given potential; they just work to bring it out. Third, they’re decisive. As a leader you’ll be remembered for two things: the problems you created and the ones you solved. Yes, you’ll make mistakes, so learn humility, hunger for personal growth, draw strength from God, and hopefully do it better next time.