"You cannot lead from the sidelines"
When I read this quote in a book a while ago, I quickly scribbled a line underneath it and wrote the words on a pad of paper I had beside me so I wouldn't forget them. Little did I know how often those few words would come back to me over the next few days nor how God would weave this lesson into what He has been teaching me lately.
Now that my thoughts have had time to distill, here are some thoughts on leadership that have been rolling around in my head. I hope that you (the reader) might be challenged and encouraged!
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On Leadership
You cannot lead from the sidelines -- not effectively at least. A leader must be the one who voluntarily goes first. First to sacrifice; first to combat evil; first to humble himself/herself; first to acknowledge failure; first to ask forgiveness; first to do anything for the sake of leaving a good example for those who would follow. With this idea, I think of at least three examples to support this maxim: Christ as a leader, Paul as a leader, and various "great Christians" as leaders.
Christ has set before us the perfect example of a humble, obedient servant leader. It was he who graciously endured rebukes, betrayals, slander, skepticism from those close to him and many other things that a mere man might endure for at time, then turn in anger toward God and man to shake his fists at the "injustice" of it all. Our Redeemer did not do this. As a humble leader, He know the "present sufferings were nothing compared to the weight of eternal glory" so he "endured the cross, despised the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the Father in glory." (2 Cor. 4:17-18; Hebrews 12:3) He willingly "went first" as a leader, not for His sake but for ours.
I also see this idea of leadership in the life of Paul. In his various epistles he says things like "follow me as I have followed Christ" (1 Cor. 11) or in 2 Timothy 3 he talks about how Timothy followed "my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life...etc" (2 Timothy 3:10-11). Paul is not arrogantly bringing attention to himself*, but rather noting the example he has been to Timothy. *(Paul acknowledges that he has not arrived as evidenced in his view of his life in Philippians 3) Paul was an example to many believers and continues to be an example today. he certainly did not become this example by "leading from the sidelines." No, Paul followed Christ, which means he knew what it meant to go first, even at the risk of suffering for it.
The last example I notice in relation to leading from the front and not from the sidelines is seen in the lives of great Christians. Two that quickly come to mind are George Muller and Amy Carmichael. These two and many others saw the example of their Savior, heard His upward call, and obediently and humbly followed, even at the risk of persecution, criticism, and suffering.
Muller, in the early years of his life was a minister of a small parish. One of the practices in this church was the purchasing of church pews by wealthy families. The "hemispheres of money" were drastically noticeable as the rich would pay for the pews toward the front of the church and the poor would take was was left toward the back of the church. As Muller read and studied his Bible, he became convicted from the book of James that this practice was wrong. Being a Doer of the Word, he abolished this practice in the church and suffered great criticism for it. And yet, he lead by example despite the opinions of man.
Carmichael, also faced criticism early in her ministry in India. After some time spent with the Indians, she recognized that her traditional English clothing was hindering her ministry to the Indians she sought to serve. So, uncharacteristic to the missionaries of her day, she started wearing clothing like those Indians around her. Many of her English counterparts criticized h er for her decision, but her ministry was not hurt by them. She led by example because of love for her Savior and for the people God placed in her life.
After we consider these examples, there is a truth that we all must face. Whether we like to admit it or not, we are all leaders in some way. Parents lead their children. Siblings lead siblings. Teachers lead students. Friends lead friends. But how are we leading? Are we looking to our examples to see how they pleased Christ and seeking to emulate them? Do we recognize the sobering fact that a Sovereign God has placed every single person in our lives for His own redeeming purposes?
How are you impacting the people around you? Are you walking so closely with your Savior that your love for Him and for others compels you to humbly sacrifice what you want for the sake of setting a godly example to who who might follow you?
True leadership is not done from the back or from the sides. True leadership is done out front where the criticizers are many, the friends are few, and where each step is a sacrifice made through the power and grace of God and is done for the love of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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Thus endeth my thoughts on leadership. =) I fully admit that these are the the ONLY thoughts on leadership, but they have been rolling around in my head for a while. So, please, be encouraged and keep your eyes on our Redeemer!
Excelsior -- May we never look back.
