The Loneliness of Leadership
I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone. Numbers 11:17
Moses said to God, ‘Why have You…laid the burden of all these people on me?’ (v. 11). God replied, ‘…Gather to Me seventy men…I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them…that you may not bear it yourself alone’ (vv. 16-17). Identify your God-given strengths, then delegate the rest to those who have strengths in your areas of weakness. Every leader is responsible for areas in which they have little or no competence. And when they try to exercise authority in those areas, they hinder everything and everybody under their watch. Put bluntly, there are things you are responsible for that you’ll never be good at, that you need to keep your nose out of and give to others! Why do we have such a hard time doing this? 1) Pride. Success is intoxicating and intoxicated people don’t think too clearly. We assume our abilities are broader than they actually are. Admitting weakness doesn’t make you less effective; it just confirms what everybody around you already knows! 2) Ignorance. We feel bad about delegating our weak areas because we assume everybody hates to do what we hate to do. Not so. You’re allowing others to shine; your limitations are their opportunities. 3) Independence. We think if the job is to be done ‘right’ we must do it ourselves. But leadership isn’t just about getting things done; it’s about getting things done through others. If you can’t find somebody to hand things to, look in the mirror! The people who follow you are exactly where you’ve led them! If you’ve nobody to delegate things to, guess who needs to change?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me excel in those areas You have gifted me and allow others to do the things You have gifted them. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Interesting verse “they will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.” This is something that God has gifted me with in the emotional realm. Where I can feel the sadness of others and cry on their behalf. My neighbor growing up was in hospice and although I do not cry for the messes I make for myself, I can definitely cry empathizing for others, and tears fell for a week. After Manuel passed away, his wife told me that she thought it was strange that through the whole thing she didn’t cry.
What an easy trap to fall into. What we call “faith” in our abilities is fear of losing control. Same holds true of our relationship with God, how many times do we trust our abilities instead of His, and want to keep control in our sorry hands.