The Leadership Dilemma

We are living in uncertain times right now.  As I write this, yet another large seasonal storm is bearing down onto the East Coast.  The children in our country are afraid to go to school because there is a decent chance that they may end up the victim of a mass shooting between algebra and social studies.  There is political scandal in the news, and religious strife in many of our churches.  I spend a lot of time praying for our leaders.  What a time to be charged with leading a nation, state, or community.  Not to mention, everyone is watching what they do and say.  

When I think about these difficult headlines and current events, I often search the media to see if I can find any evidence of what the church calls 'servant leadership.'  Sometimes I do, but most often I do not.  This shouldn't surprise us really, as the world will often act differently than what God has revealed to us through the Bible.  But I don't give up hope that we may soon see a change in how our politicians and government officials react to stressful situations.   

We watch leaders come and go.  But I believe what is most prevalent with people in power today - both in corporate America and elsewhere - is the misconception that in order to be effective, we must lead with force.  This often equates to the need to control everything, which in turn comes from allowing our egos to reign unchecked.  A typical strategy for managing a department or beginning a new business for example, often results in large groups of frustrated employees who are disillusioned with their jobs because all they see is the person in charge putting their preferences first.  "I'm in charge, and what I say goes" you may hear them utter.  Couple this style of leadership with the fear of showing weakness or admitting your mistakes, and we have almost the perfect storm.

But what did Jesus say about how to lead others?  You may remember a peculiar Scripture from the Bible that talks about Jesus welcoming little children.  In particular, Luke 9:46-48 says, "An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.  Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him.  Then he said to them, 'Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.  For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest."

It is a true statement that much of the time, children are looked upon as less influential  (or more marginal) than the rest of the population.  But Jesus rightly takes the time to pull a little one over to himself and teach his followers about a heavenly paradox when it comes to servant leadership.  In other words, if we are ego-driven, control mongering, power hungry leaders - then we are doing something wrong.  We are not leading others the way Jesus taught.  In this case, it would indeed be better to behave like small children.

We may also remember the famous story about Jesus washing his disciples' feet during the Passover festival.  In those days, travel was arduous and people's feet and sandals would often become extremely dirty.  As such, it was a most detestable job to wash them for another person ... definitely not something reserved for the Son of God.  Or so we would think.

The fact is, Jesus washed their feet that day in order to demonstrate to them how to engage in servant leadership.  John 12:14-15 says, "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."

He set us an example, but are we listening?  Do we see our managers, bosses, and leaders serving their followers in this way?  Probably not very often.

The problem is that people will follow an intelligent, charismatic leader for a while - but it won't last forever.  If they begin to discover that everything this person says or does is still based around ego or selfish motives, they will eventually begin to fall away.  This is just as true in churches as it is in the business world.  Putting on a good show will sell tickets in the short run, but that alone does not cause genuine life change.  If we are not serving others also, they will feel it.  It cannot be all about us when it comes to leadership.  

One more Biblical account to look at that will help clarify this concept.  The story of King David and Bathsheba has always fascinated me.  Not just because it is a tale of deceit and adultery, but rather because it shows the trouble we can get into when we do not lead well.  You see, 2 Samuel tells us that David had sent his army off to battle against the Ammonites.  It wasn't uncommon to launch into battle in the spring time back then, but what is important here is the fact that the king stayed behind in Jerusalem.  In other words, David sent his army into battle, but decided that it would be better if he didn't get his hands dirty himself.  The fact that he passed on his duty as commander that day allowed the opportunity for problems to sneak in.  David saw the attractive Bathsheba from his vantage point during a rooftop stroll at the palace, and the rest is history (and not good history either).

David should have gone into battle with his troops.  So should we.  We are to get in there and serve.  People are watching and waiting for a leader like this. 

I remember one manager in particular whom I worked for during high school.  He was one of those rare leaders who would choose grace over punishment, and service above ego.  There was nothing that he assigned us which he had not done himself at some stage during his charge.  Since we all knew this, no one scoffed or complained whenever he gave us a task to do.  In fact, he often stayed late so that I could clock out and get home a bit early.  He was truly great to work for.

I wonder if he had ever read that story about Jesus washing feet.  I suppose it doesn't matter at this point, as I have lost track of him through the years.  Probably better to model it than to read about it anyway.  And best of all to teach it through example.     




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Listening for Spiritual Truth

It is so very, very easy to become distracted in our culture today.  We often spend much of our time going back and forth to activities for our children (or grandchildren).  We spend time trying to keep up with the Joneses, keeping our house clean, trying to be a good employee.  It is no wonder that many of us don't have much time leftover to delve into spiritual things or Biblical truth.  In fact, I think it is much easier to come home after a long day and drop into bed exhausted, relieved just to be home. 

 I will always remember one evening in particular; a memory that stuck out in my mind so much that I enjoy recounting the story to this day.  I was at a function organized for some of the children in the community out at the local country club.  It was set up in order recognize achievement - and they always had a free meal.  Parents would bring with them loads of food ... lot's of good stuff and plenty of desserts.  This particular evening was no different, there were tables of treats as far as the eye could see.

It was also not uncommon at these events for the parents and caretakers of the children to be distracted for short periods of time, often helping with the food and the event itself.  Out of the corner of my eye I noticed one young child walking back to his assigned table with a full plate and a beverage.  This is normal at a banquet of course, but as I took a closer look, I noticed that his plate was stacked high with donuts, brownies, and cookies.  I had to sit down because I started laughing so hard.  It was evident that mom and dad were not paying close attention.  The young man saw his chance at freedom, and loaded his plate accordingly with whatever he wanted.  I can't imagine the sugar rush that must have transpired shortly after he sat down to eat!

As we all know, donuts and brownies taste good, but they aren't good for us.  Quite the opposite in fact.  The trade-off for our momentary joy is usually a feeling of fatigue that soon kicks in, and another four-hundred or so calories that stick to our bodies.  The rush is short lived - not to mention the feeling of guilt that rears its ugly head later.

And I believe it can happen just the same way when we turn the discussion toward spiritual things.  When we are tired or distracted, it is easy for the bad things to sneak onto our plates.  It is easy to put God and the Bible fairly low in our daily hierarchy, isn't it?  After all, many of us are on the go from the moment we get out of bed to the time we cash it in for the night.  It is only natural that our plates are full of junk food.  We've no time for anything else.

We load up with a quick bit of political correctness here, maybe a dab of lukewarm spirituality there.  But nothing that will give our souls the protein we need in order to stay healthy and fit.  Instead, we often load our plates with things that give us a quick rush of satisfaction, followed by fatigue and unnecessary calories.

The Gospel of Luke relates an interesting story about how to love our enemies.  At first glance, one might consider this parable unrelated to our discussion about spiritual distraction ... but hang in there with me a bit longer and I think you will see what I am getting at.  Luke 6:27-28 says, "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."   

Now this is good advice on it's own, but notice the first sentence.  Jesus prefaces his teaching by saying, "But to you who are listening..."   What a strange thing to say.  But the statement makes an impact nonetheless.  Are we really listening?  Do we take the time to hear God's voice in the midst of our busy lives?  When we look at our dinner plate, do we see donuts and soda or vegetables and water?  Do we even really look at our food at all, or are we just gulping it down to save time?

I think it is an important question to ask, and it is a good idea to ask it of ourselves at every step throughout our lives.  Are we listening?  We have only a short time here on this planet.  Are we filling that time with spiritual truths from God, or with worldly wisdom that sounds good at the time, but doesn't really keep us full?

Author and philosopher C.S. Lewis once wrote that human beings are built to run only on God, and nothing else.  He goes on to say further, that all of human history is the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.  There is a lot of truth to this statement, especially when we see so many people settling for plates full of pseudo-spirituality and half truths.  

So what is the answer to this dilemma?  I believe the solution is literally at our fingertips, recorded in the actions and words of Jesus.  God has generously related them to us in the pages of the Bible.  We must keep digging in to what Christ said and did.  We must bring our full intellect - with all of our doubt and certainty, joys and struggles - to our understanding of Scripture.  Watching CNN won't get us there.  Reading and studying only secular writings and philosophy isn't enough either.  We must begin to fill our dinner plate with the right food, and the sooner the better.  With the correct spiritual diet, I am betting the distractions will slow down.  Maybe they will even change over from a loud roar for our attention, to a small trickle as we begin to allow God into our busy lives.

I wonder about that little boy and his heaping plate of donuts and cookies from time to time.  It brings a smile to my face whenever I think about it.  I am sure that at some point, mom and dad probably noticed what had happened.  They most likely took it upon themselves to admonish and correct the young man.  If we are lucky, God will do the same for us.  It is no good sitting down to a meal with the wrong type of food.  Fortunately for you and I however, there is usually a grocery store with a fresh produce section just around the corner.  If we listen to our bodies closely enough, we will know when it's time to change our diet.  That time is probably as soon as possible.   



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