Leading

Dear Worshippers,

Last night I mowed my lawn for the second time this summer. Before you spend too many brain cells trying to figure out why that is let me give praise to the Lord for all of the men who have come over and helped during my recovery so that I would not be burdened with that physical exertion. I praise God for each of them, and a church family so willing to help.

After the other time I mowed my oldest son Samuel asked if he could help. You must now that I see the four boys that I will have to feed over the next 17 years and then some as a tremendous workforce, in time of course. This is one of the most strenuous things Samuel had ever asked to help with, and I was more than happy to have the help.

Any of you that have worked with young people know the blessing and the challenges of doing so. The blessing is in their eagerness to help and the boundless enthusiasm they bring to learning and trying something new. The challenge is in sometimes keeping them focused after the newness has worn off and the enthusiasm has waned. Samuel was a trooper mowing for probably over an hour with no complaints. I was so proud of him.

It occurred to me as we worked that he needed leadership and training. I told him several things about mower safety and we began. Some things that I had totally forgotten about mowing came back as I saw him struggle with a few things. Starting the mower was hard for him until I told him to slowly pull the cord until it was tight then give it a strong, quick jerk. Mowing in a line was difficult until I trained him to keep one wheel just inside the already mowed section. Pushing the mower was difficult until we lowered the handle to make it more manageable.
I realized through this experience what I already knew on some: leading others can be demanding, but it is far more rewarding.

So I ask you the question: Who are you leading? Some of you are leading family members. Others of you are leading employees or maybe even peers. I would venture to say that every one of you at some point in your week is leading someone, whether you realize it or not. At the very least, you are leading yourself, and self-leadership may actually be the most demanding kind of leadership by far.

Whomever you happen to be leading, can you say to them like Paul said to the Corinthians, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ”? [I Corinthians 11.1] For as certainly as we are all leaders, we are followers as well. Who you follow determines how well you will lead, regardless of the parameters.

Jesus, help us to lead well, starting with ourselves, and going outward from there from the most formal to the most casual of encounters. Help us to do this by first following You well. Thanks for such a great example.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy