Leadership Pains

I have been so hurt tonight. A fellow leader whom I also consider to be a close friend, backed out of our ministry. This kinda stuff just plain stings. You know, as a young minister, your all gung ho over doing ministry and the sky looks like it has no limit. But then so after, reality sets in. Your dealing with other human being with problems and lives of their own. You really want to be running forward full fledged with like minded individuals who are also good friends. So when their problems or lives get in the way of them continuing, it hurts. You know, you can pour into other leaders until your face turns blue. You can do everything right. But at the end of the day, those leaders can always walk away. I'm not talking about walking away from the faith. But just walking away from their commitment to lead.

You see, I take it very personally when these kind of things happen. I just want to be a really good leader. I want people to one day say good things about me when it comes to my leadership. I don't believe this is a sinful desire either. If Im called to be a leader then I should want to be the best possible. As I have been dealing with all this, I remembered Jesus. Now I am not by any means equating myself with Jesus. But I can certainly learn from His example. Was Jesus a bad leader? No! He was and is the best leader to ever walk this earth. And still, he had a disciple who was fake and there for the wrong reasons and other disciples who were chickens and left Him high and dry when the going got really tough. Disciples who just never really got it. No matter how much Jesus poured into these guys they would still do and say such foolish things. So if these kind of leadership issues weren't foreign to Jesus, then I shouldn't be surprised when I encounter the same thing.

This has been a huge encouragement for me. I can cry to the one who has experienced what I am experiencing. I don't have a God who is high and lofty to the point where He doesn't understand what I'm going through. Rather I have the God who became like one of His creation in order to relate to them. And then He died for us to make an end to this suffering. Rose again and now lives and interacts with His people through the gift of His Spirit. He has never left His people and never will. This is a great, loving, caring God.

Preaching the gospel to myself day by day by day.