Longing for Leadership

These times are certainly trying, but one thing remains the same, people are looking for someone they can follow and “longing for leadership”.

This is true for all of us as we go through life.

Along with this desire is the realization we are repeating what we have witnessed and learned from those who have gone before us. This is the power of leadership and can be seen by the affect those we have been exposed to have had on our lives.

The question we must ask is, who are these people that have made such an impression on us?

They are our fathers, mothers, siblings, friends, coaches, teachers and pastors. They are our co-workers, mentors, and confidants. Each has played a role in shaping our lives in ways we may not realize, recognize, or appreciate.

Even though we may have left many of these people behind us long ago, we are continuing to be affected by the influence they have had on our lives.

You see, we are the sum of our experiences; good, bad, and indifferent. Because of this, others have left marks on our lives. These marks are affecting us each, and every day.

Some of these marks have become scars which even though they may have long since healed over can resurface from time to time as we respond in the same way as those we have followed to certain situations and circumstances.

The moral is, we must be careful who we follow, and we must be aware there are people all around us we cannot help but be drawn to.

The question is are the ones we are following worth our longing to be led? The answer to this question can be found in the way we lead others.

You see, we too are shaping and molding the lives of those in our sphere of influence. This is true because everyone is “longing for leadership”; people to be near, to learn from, to emulate and there are those who long to be near, emulate and follow us.

Here is where “longing for leadership” begins to create both an opportunity and an obligation. The opportunity is the reality we can lead others by the way we live our lives. The obligation is in knowing we may be having a lasting effect on someone else.

Regardless of who we are, where are from and where we see ourselves in the future, there is a leadership model that can fulfill our longing and equip us for the opportunity and obligation to lead others.

That model is one that has stood the test of time. That model is Jesus of Nazareth, or Jesus Christ and His is the leadership model we are all longing for!

Matthew 9:36, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”