Great Leaders

Great leaders understand who they are. They know where they begin and where they end. Leaders know their strengths and their weaknesses and they surround themselves by a team that add to who they are and to each other. Leaders don’t try to clone themselves. They seek out those with willing hearts to become all their passion beckons for them to be. They don’t look for perfect people who have it all together, rather for those who know their shortcomings and rise to the occasion to sharpen and even surpass what has stifled them in the past. These courageous souls are the ones who understand vulnerability is actually one of the strongest weapons that can be wielded. It shows others you aren’t afraid of you. You’re not afraid of your past, your present or your future because you know who you are. Vulnerability allows us to say the two biggest words to someone who’s going through any type of crisis whether identity or otherwise and these are the words, “Me too”. You see sometimes in our society and culture, we’d rather point and scoff at someone going through a rough time. We’d rather say "that’s too bad but glad it’s not me". When in fact it’s precisely what they need to hear at the time. They need to know they’re not alone. They need us to “see” them. Great leaders notice others, press in when their hurting, and don’t leave their team on the battlefield of life when they’re wounded.

A great quote from King Lear speaks to just this so well:

“If the failure to recognize others is a failure to let others recognize you, a fear of what is revealed to them, an avoidance of their eyes, then it is exactly shame which is the cause of his withholding of recognition…For shame is the specific discomfort produced by the sense of being looked at, the avoidance of the sight of others is the reflex it produces. Guilt is different; there is the reflex to avoid discovery. As long as no one knows what you have done, you are safe; or your conscience will press you to confess it and accept punishment. Under shame, what must be covered up is not your deed, but yourself. It is a more primitive emotion than guilt, as inescapable as the possession of a body, the first object of shame.”

Isn’t that powerful? Basically sometimes we can be afraid of seeing others because we’re afraid they’ll see us. The bold statement that “under shame what must be covered up is not your deed, but yourself”…Holy smokes. That’s what fear would love for us to believe. That’s where we’re held captive isn’t it? If we’re honest, it’s a prison most of us have lived in. There might as well be a guest book that Fear the Warden keeps as we enter the gates of the prison. Once there we hand over our identity, our hearts, and our original design in exchange for a self imposed prison, a trunk of masks and invisible blinders so we never notice others or have to look anyone in the eye. 

You see, it’s not that great leaders haven’t encountered this in their journey, it’s that they’re not willing to stay there. They also know that our choices have consequences and they willingly accept them. Not only that but great leaders also know when they are faced with an ultimate decision that will greatly impact their lives and often times the lives of those around them, they know what they can say yes to and what they should say no to. Even though sometimes the no is closing the door on opportunity, they understand the opportunity isn’t how they’re wired. Great leaders are quick to allow someone else to take the position, they’re honest about who they are. As Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks puts it so well, “A great leader must be honest with himself if they are to be honest with those they lead.” He goes on to say, “A great leader should be content with who he or she is. A great leader must have the strength to know what he cannot be, if he is to have the courage to be himself.” 

So, I’ll end with these questions, do you know who you are? Do you see others and allow others to see you? Do you know what you should say yes to and what you should say no to? Can you cancel out pride and fear of failure with the power of strength in vulnerability? Can you bring up others around you to not only be as good as you but possibly better? 

Can you see?

Can you “see”?

One of the definitions of the word “sight” is what our range of vision allows us to see. I think that’s fascinating. Quite often when teaching, I’ll ask can you “see” that? What we “see” is governed by what we want to see sometimes. Have you ever noticed when driving somewhere, you just seem to get there? You probably couldn’t tell me the color of the car you were behind most of the way, you probably couldn’t remember who was sitting next to you in that traffic, you wouldn’t remember much about your journey from here to there because you’re thinking about what you have to take care of when you arrive, or the things you have to do later, or whether or not you took care of what the kids needed…the list goes on. Honestly, I’ve been in meetings with people, one on one, and my mind is thinking about what I have to do after my meeting. I’m not “seeing” the person in front of me. I’m missing an opportunity to speak into their life, to listen to their life, to just be present and see what maybe I need to glean from them. 

How many times have you gone into the grocery store and you don’t even remember the name of the cashier. You didn’t notice them. You didn’t see them. Maybe the waitress when you went to eat…did you catch her name? Did you see her face? Did she look like she had something weighing on her heart? Did you see her? I’m as guilty as anyone. I can get so “me” focused that I forget to “see” others. I forget the world has more people in it than just me, myself and I. I can forget that my mission in this world if I claim to follow Jesus, is to be light and salt to others. To see others through his eyes. To hear others with his heart. To encourage them with his love. 

Jesus was amazing at “seeing” people. When his ministry began, when he was choosing his team. He didn’t go for the heavy hitters. He “saw” those that had been overlooked. He saw a tax collector that nobody liked. He saw two fishermen in their boats that weren’t chosen to follow their Rabbi. He saw Zacheus up in the tree. He saw the woman at the well. He saw the woman about to be stoned. He saw the lepers. He saw the criminal on the cross next to him. He saw the woman with the bleeding disorder. He saw the invisible people. He gave them value by noticing them. 

You see our mission, does not have to be some formal mission trip. It can be and there’s beauty in that. But we can be on mission everyday by just being aware of those around us. We live everyday surrounded by people everywhere. Can we just be a little more purposeful about who they are? What’s their story? We don’t have to shove Jesus down people’s throat, we can be Jesus in the world. Jesus approached people in love. Jesus just noticed them. He listened to them. He ate with them. He healed them. He did life with them. How many times do you think someone asks the cashier at the grocery store about their day? Or the hostess that seats you at a restaurant, could you just be aware of their presence? Could you let them know you see them? Just by asking their name and using it, you’re personalizing the experience. You’re letting them know they matter. 

If we are to follow Jesus’ example of being in this world, our mission is not about us, it’s about Him. It’s about bringing His light to others. It’s about being in community and loving others well. It’s about forgetting about the million things we have to do by tomorrow and listening to one thing that is troubling someone today. It’s about rejoicing with others about their triumphs and sharing in their grief when there is tragedy. It’s about being collective instead of singular. Jesus didn’t come into the world and singlehandedly change it, although He had the power to do it. He came into the world to create community so that when He left us physically, the mission would continue. Are you ready to do your part? Can we pray for eyes to see and ears to hear, can we pray for a heart that longs to bring fire to others?

Do Not Be Afraid. Only Believe.

"Do not be afraid, only believe." 

What is going on in your life right now that you are afraid of? What looks so big and insurmountable that you feel overwhelmed? Where is it in your life that you feel utterly alone? Where do you feel like your lost in the middle of the wilderness with no direction or compass to bring you back home? 

In Mark 5, Jesus ministry is fully alive. He is approached by Jairus about his daughter who is gravely ill. In Mark it says "he throws himself at Jesus' feet". Sounds like a desperate plea doesn't it? Where in your life do you want to just throw yourself at His feet and beg for healing? While He and his disciples are enroute the woman with the bleeding disorder is crawling on her belly to get to Jesus. She is taking a huge risk being "unclean" in society. Have you felt like her? Have you spent so much on doctors or counselors or temporary substitutes to fill your void and this is your last ditch effort? When have you felt unclean? This woman remembered the promise of the messiah who would come and heal all disease and by faith reached out to touch the tassels on his garment. 

And Jesus felt the power leaving him...friends, He sees you. He hears you when you call. He knows your feeling of desperation. His heart breaks with yours. He knows what a leap of faith it is just to reach out when you've been so beat down for so long. 
He acknowledges her. He asks who touched him and bravely, the woman steps forward and for the first time in so long, she is seen. Her pain is seen. Her heart is seen. 

During all this, Jairus's servants come and say don't worry about bothering the teacher any further, your daughter is dead. First of all, as if Jesus sees us as "bothering" him. Let's just all get over that right now. Second of all, Jesus answers by identifying with Jairus broken heart, you see he sees him too. "Do not be afraid, only believe." Jesus doesn't say "and" believe, he says "only" believe. 

Friends that's the answer. Only believe. How many times do the circumstances look so bleak and you feel so burdened there's no way for you to believe and yet that's exactly what he asks us to do.

He resurrects this little girl's life and the first thing he asks them to do is feed her of course, because Jesus is real. He doesn't ask for formal prayer or even thanks, he tells them to feed her.

So, what in your life needs to be brought back to life? What do you believe is so far gone that you think there's no point in bothering the teacher? What does he want to not only resurrect but then also feed in your life. It's time we take Jesus at His word. Let us all not be afraid but choose today to only believe.