Being a Self-Leader
You’d think after all these years I’ve had on Planet Earth; I would have more leadership sense. But, oops, I did it again – I still need more instructions. Once again, I need a refresher course on being a good leader FOR MYSELF!
We may think we are a good leader for others, but, numero uno – we had better be a good leader to ourselves first. Here’s an example: Someone tells a lie about us. As a self-leader, we can think “I’ll get even with them. I’ll expose the truth about them.” Or, we can have a little visit with ourselves about patience and love and be quick to forgive them.
I recall the story of David in 1 Samuel 30 when this future king of Israel was learning to lead his troops. Even though God poured His favor on David, one terrible day, he and his troops returned home from fighting another enemy and discovered their camp was destroyed and their women and children had been dragged off.
That would be defined as a bad day for any leader. His soldiers were tired, angry, and worried sick about their families. They were miffed at God. Some of his men spread word that they’d had it with David’s leadership. They figured it was all David’s fault.
Eventually, David had to decide who needed leadership the most. In that critical moment David realized he had to lead himself first, before he could lead anyone else. Unless he had his mind and spirit together, he had nothing to offer his team. So, in 1 Samuel 30:6, we read that “David strengthened himself in the Lord his God”.
David understood the importance of self-leadership. And although self-leadership isn’t talked about much, I assure you, it is the leadership that our world seems to be most lacking.
How can we expect someone else to fix what’s wrong in our world, if we can’t fix ourselves? How effectively can any of us lead others if we respond with knee jerk reactions instead of weighing what our next words will be, or should be?
I want to self-lead myself to be laser focused on others and I want my first response to be love, kindness, patience, gentleness, and love.
I’ll probably have to take myself into my mind’s conference room to keep striving to get it right, but like David, I’ll keep strengthening myself in the Lord my God, until I get it right. How about you?