Been busy with back-to-back retreats & planning days, and trying very hard to finish what work i can clear before i head for my reservist training. There have been many thoughts bouncing around in my head...many things that i'm quite consciously pondering...
My fitness goal is to finish a marathon this year...i'm on the way there, running the Sundown marathon May 31st with Ah Seng & Donovan, the tricky thing is that with reservist right smack in May, i have to taper off earlier than i would have liked...and i have to really take care of my diet and body during that stressful period...hmmmms....not ideal...but ok, let's see how it goes!
One other thought bouncing around in my head...the saying that
"You're not a leader, if you have no followers"
or in some other forms...
"You can't lead if no one follows"
or in some other forms...
"You can't lead if no one follows"
I think i instinctively rebelled against that saying when i first heard it, and i've been gradually looking into it more. Looking at biblical examples, looking at secular examples, testing the validity of such a sweeping statement.
My thoughts on this...
True leaders have always marched to the beat of a different drum. It is not that they are different for the sake of being different, nor are they non-conformists. Instead, they are driven by another motivation, their sights set on a goal so far in front, they do not have time to look back to see if anyone is following...the greatest leaders NEVER bothered if anyone is following them. They just led by example, they were driven by a vision, a goal, an aim...that's what made them good leaders. If they had been people pandering to the followers wants, they would have been people pleasers more than leaders.
King David...was a leader way before he became king,
...he fought Goliath when the armies of Israel were too afraid to
...despite knowing that he would be king, David spent years running & hiding, refusing to usurp the throne, refusing to kill to take the throne, did he do it cuz people were following him? no...they were the ones encouraging him to kill the king! He refused to lift a finger against God's annointed because David knew the heart of God. That was his motivation.
Jesus...was He a popular leader? No...not at all, he endured persecution, the in-fighting of his disciples wanting the place of honour next to Him, many times he fought against the unbelief of His disciples too. He led by praying & praying & praying...yet many of these times were lonely ones, the disciples failed to even keep awake when they were supposed to be praying & keeping watch in Gethsamane. (just like those of us who fall asleep in crucial moments in time...) For 30 years, no one followed Him, they only came when He called them...
Look at most revolutionary business leaders...many led the way from the front, they were alone for the most part. Followers only came alongside when the person was successful or had results. I think in that way...we are extremely practical people.
But...my thoughts on these right now are that...
the best leaders never bother if there are others following...by virtue of setting their sights on a goal and driving towards it, they are focussed in on that rather than bothering if people follow. That is an unimportant question. They instinctively know that when the vision is caught, the goals accomplished, there are other byproducts that will happen.
What strikes me most is how God moulds people thru such a process...
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said this..."One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons"
I believe & see this truism everywhere. So many times, we already know what is right, what is good, what "should be done", but many times we refuse to do it, we ignore, we desire to indulge more than to obey. Obedience isn't easy, but it builds character, faith, and a resolute trust in God even when things get messy (and they always do...) Obedience is a fruit that is tested in trials. Then it shows forth what is within us...
Wow...such a long, incoherent ramble...hahahhahaha!
My thoughts on this...
True leaders have always marched to the beat of a different drum. It is not that they are different for the sake of being different, nor are they non-conformists. Instead, they are driven by another motivation, their sights set on a goal so far in front, they do not have time to look back to see if anyone is following...the greatest leaders NEVER bothered if anyone is following them. They just led by example, they were driven by a vision, a goal, an aim...that's what made them good leaders. If they had been people pandering to the followers wants, they would have been people pleasers more than leaders.
King David...was a leader way before he became king,
...he fought Goliath when the armies of Israel were too afraid to
...despite knowing that he would be king, David spent years running & hiding, refusing to usurp the throne, refusing to kill to take the throne, did he do it cuz people were following him? no...they were the ones encouraging him to kill the king! He refused to lift a finger against God's annointed because David knew the heart of God. That was his motivation.
Jesus...was He a popular leader? No...not at all, he endured persecution, the in-fighting of his disciples wanting the place of honour next to Him, many times he fought against the unbelief of His disciples too. He led by praying & praying & praying...yet many of these times were lonely ones, the disciples failed to even keep awake when they were supposed to be praying & keeping watch in Gethsamane. (just like those of us who fall asleep in crucial moments in time...) For 30 years, no one followed Him, they only came when He called them...
Look at most revolutionary business leaders...many led the way from the front, they were alone for the most part. Followers only came alongside when the person was successful or had results. I think in that way...we are extremely practical people.
But...my thoughts on these right now are that...
the best leaders never bother if there are others following...by virtue of setting their sights on a goal and driving towards it, they are focussed in on that rather than bothering if people follow. That is an unimportant question. They instinctively know that when the vision is caught, the goals accomplished, there are other byproducts that will happen.
What strikes me most is how God moulds people thru such a process...
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said this..."One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons"
I believe & see this truism everywhere. So many times, we already know what is right, what is good, what "should be done", but many times we refuse to do it, we ignore, we desire to indulge more than to obey. Obedience isn't easy, but it builds character, faith, and a resolute trust in God even when things get messy (and they always do...) Obedience is a fruit that is tested in trials. Then it shows forth what is within us...
We're imperfect creatures entrusted with a sense of divinity,
and the chance to shine for His Glory.
Let's do it better each time...=)
and the chance to shine for His Glory.
Let's do it better each time...=)
Wow...such a long, incoherent ramble...hahahhahaha!
1 comment:
hey rudy! was thinking about what you said about why we still do the things we know we shouldn't do. there's this theory which i koped from Tuesdays With Morrie: the tension of opposites. we know it's wrong yet we still do it. such is human nature... ties in rather nicely with the purity campaign, For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. just some random thought... (: chk this out: http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Tension_of_Opposites/id/50551. zomg rudy, one can write an academic essay just on this! haha
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