“If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.” – Fred Rogers
I believe that every one of us is a leader. Leadership is defined as the position or function of a person who guides or directs a group. The group is defined by more than one. Essentially, if you have any say or opinion that guides or directs another human being…YOU are a leader. Think of the multiple roles you play in your life. Think about the people you touch at home, work, and play. Think about your interactions within each of those roles. How many people do you talk to a day? Think about how many things you say or do (or don’t say or do) that impact how another human (or group of humans) view the world. I think it is wise to grasp the reality that we are all leaders, and we all have an equal responsibility to steward that position well.
We are humans with an original design that is rooted in the design of the Trinity. The Trinity knows how to do community, doesn’t it? I mean, when Jesus comes on the scene, God the Father takes a knee and ushers in His son by saying, this is my son who I dearly love. Then what does Jesus do when He is about to go through hell (literally) to get the keys back to the Kingdom? He says something BETTER than me will come for you after I leave. So now Jesus takes a knee to the Holy Spirit, which only comes to what? Give glory to the Father.
You see…The Father is no less the Father when Jesus shows up. The Father is not mad that Jesus showed up. He is not upset that maybe somehow Jesus is going to get all the love and all of the attention and sad little Father God might be forgotten about. He is God. The one that holds it all together. The God big enough and complete enough to be all things to all people for all time and all eternity. The God that can separate Himself out in part only to work as a whole. That is our design. That is the way we are meant to experience unity with God and with others.
While my career has strengthened my leadership abilities, nothing has developed me more than my role as a mother. Anyone? It’s one thing to have employees or colleagues that are interested in collaboration and collective achievements. It’s easy to motivate or cast vision with people who are interested in working towards the same goal. But leading your children in the way of everlasting – I mean really now. This is where I really feel for God because not one of my kids skipped off toward the direction of everlasting like Dorothy on the yellow brick road. All mine were/are running amuck. Digging trenches. Hiding out. Avoiding. Sometimes getting is ‘right’ but most often, they need some serious leading…and I only have three. God has billions who are all doing that same thing all of the time.
Leaders come and go in our lives for different reasons and seasons. Following a leader, especially by-election and when not ‘forced’, is possibly the most crucial ongoing decision we can make. When we follow a leader, we are essentially placing our trust in them and stating our commitment to supporting that leader’s ideas, morals, and objectives. Great leaders have the ability not only to communicate the objective but also to inspire those around them to participate in the actualization of that objective. Following a leader is the action of the personal conviction that says, ‘I believe, and I will act in accordance with my belief.’
I’m grateful for the way God leads from a place of pure Love…but loving leadership doesn’t always feel loving, does it? Knowing the heart of a leader is the thing that gives us the confidence we need to follow that leader. Great leaders, like great teachers, will lead by example and with humility. They will not only tell you what to do but also how it ‘feels’ to be contributing to the larger vision.
No matter your past or current circumstance, you were designed with a purpose to have lasting influence on those around you. Whether you know it or not, you are influencing and impacting others right now! Join us for our transformational Leadership Program, Ignite: The Holy Yoga Way, starting soon!
