Following The Lead Or Leading To Be Followed?
Luke 9:23-24 (New Living Translation)
23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
This week, my mother’s class has chapel; it is a time where students come together for an assembly of sorts that covers a biblical theme. There is usually a play portion, singing and lesson to be taught, learned or shared. As we have been down at the school working with the children, one thing has become very clear, as an adult we must set a standard, and lead so that those who are watching can follow. But I learned many years ago while in the Air Force that to be a good leader you must first be a good follower. If you never learned how to follow, you surely will not understand the concept of leading. Because every great leader knows that they will follow, but they will also learn, glean and be sensitive to those they lead, and at some points allow those that they lead to become the leader, by empowerment. I noticed one of my mother’s students paying close attention to my actions and I noticed that from the first time we encountered each other, to present she was drawn to me, it made me to know that I needed to take care in following a pattern of behavior that would be acceptable and set a good example for her.
I love to watch people, but I am also one that loves people period. I have learned that people have a tendency to look out for themselves. They do not usually look back and take care of anyone else. We want so bad to lead but have not chosen to see that we must first follow. Too many of us even want God to follow us instead of us being able to submit ourselves to Him and follow Him. We for some reason have this misaligned judgment that says everyone should be behind us, and that is to include God. Not so, if we are ever to become effective leaders we must learn to submit to authority, have respect for authority and be humble enough to be corrected and strong enough to carry the weight of our being under someone else’s authority. So many of us are trying hard to hang on to what we view is our life, our way, our authority our knowledge, our money. We do not want anyone telling us what to do or how to do it, and then we get upset when people do not want to do what we say. Respect begets respect, just as authority and submission too beget that. Life is not a Burger King commercial; it is more like a scene from an old Japanese film, where you must adopt a mission even if it means hari-kari. We need to understand that we have got to lay down our lives in service to God to become the example that others will need to follow Christ themselves. You see until we can understand that leadership is a product of followship, we will never be able to be successful, in being as Christ was and is. One of the greatest scriptures in the Bible Jesus said He did not come to be served but to serve.
Submission is considered to be such an awful word, but the only way to be a leader and learn what it is to be an effective leader is to be in submission and in alignment with a leader. Leadership is about laying down your life in service to another, not laying down everyone else’s life for your service. Learning to hone your skills as a follower will put you in a place where God can see your level of commitment and service, this is when God knows whether you are in it for you or for Him, whether you can be trusted to be who you are called to be, or will you be determined to make everyone to include Him, what we want. Follow like you value being lead and lead like you value being followed. Become one that listens when spoken to, empowers and entrust, one that submits to authority yourself and one who understands that people are watching and following our lead, but more importantly understanding that God is watching and He is taking His cues from our lead.
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