Leading the Way
By Pastor Tim Shaw
How would you define leadership? What does it look like to lead in our workplaces, in our homes, in our schools, in government? If you’re sitting across the table from someone right now, share your initial thoughts on that question with them. What does it look like to lead? If you’re on your own, jot down a few thoughts on that question.
At its core, leadership is influence. Before some of you decide that today’s devotion is not for you because you think you're not a leader, let me pull you back into the discussion. All of us are people who have influence somewhere in our lives. We all have spheres of influence. Maybe it’s with your colleagues at work, or with your grandchildren, or in the classroom with your students, or in the legislature, or with your fellow cast members in the play you are in, or with your teammates when you’re on the soccer field. All of us have influence. We influence others, whether we realize it or not, with our proactive, positive actions. We influence others through what we do and by what we say. We also influence others when we decide not to do or say anything. Our silence and inaction can be influential.
If that is all true — that all of us have influence — that means all of us are leading somewhere in our lives because all of us have a sphere of influence. The scope of your influence may seem small but it can be quite significant in the life of another person. It’s true that some of us have a spiritual gift of leadership but that doesn’t mean the rest of us are disqualified from being leaders. So, the question becomes, what kind of influence do you want to have in your world today? Do you want to have a positive impact on the world around you, or will the influence you have negatively impact your world and the people in it?
If you’ve said yes to Jesus and are one of His followers, you’ve signed up to be a leader. He’s called you to influence your world for the sake of His kingdom. Your life, your leadership, in whatever spheres you live and work, can influence those who live and work in those spaces. Your influence, your leadership will either bring greater health and wholeness to those people and those contexts, or you will bring negativity, discouragement, fear, pain, hurt and a whole host of other destructive experiences to those people and spaces. So, what kind of leadership do you want to provide in your world today?
One of the most impressive leaders in the Bible is a woman by the name of Esther. I’d encourage you to read her story. The Book of Esther is a wild story about a person who discovered her sphere of influence. When she made that discovery, admitting to herself that she indeed was a person who had influence, she decided to act. With God’s help and the encouragement of others, her actions saved the lives of thousands of people. All the people in the story of Esther are people who have weaknesses and flaws. But that did not prevent God from using them to accomplish His good in the world. The same is true for you and me today.
Esther joined the ranks of other women and men whose leadership made the difference that was needed. So, where is God calling you to lead? How will you live out God’s call to be a person of influence in your workplace, school, family, and community this week? Like Esther discovered, could it be that this is YOUR time?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, would you continue to form Jesus in our lives? Heal the broken places in our lives, remake us and show us how we might be people of influence for You in our world. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Empower us to be the leaders You are calling us to be. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen!
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