"Then Esau said, “Let us take our journey; let us go, and I will go before you.” But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are weak, and the flocks and herds which are nursing are with me. And if the men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die. Please let my lord go on ahead before his servant. I will lead on slowly at a pace which the livestock that go before me, and the children, are able to endure, until I come to my lord in Seir.” (Gen 33:13-14)
There is a story I read about a 19th century explorer who was leading a group of Africans in an expedition to another part of the continent. On the first three days of the expedition, they walked briskly and made very great progress at a rate faster than usual, putting them ahead of their schedule. The explorer was very happy.
On the fourth day, however, he woke up in the morning to discover that his African companions wouldn't start out. They told him they were not moving - that they had being moving so fast and it was time to rest, so their souls could catch up with their bodies.
Yesterday, we learned from our text that leaders should lead with knowledge. Today we see another leadership lesson from the text
2. Leaders should lead gently and with compassion.
Sometimes we outrun our souls and drive others to do so too. One of the characteristics of leaders is that they are people of vision. They often see farther than the people they are leading. They have the capacity to see so far into the future that their followers have to catch up with them. This is good. However, if this ability is not properly handled, it could often lead the leader to drive the followers beyond their capacity to endure. This leads to disastrous consequences such as burning out, discouragement and stress, first for the followers, and eventually for the leader.
Gordon McDonalds in his great book, "Ordering Your Private Life" distinguishes between a drive and a call. Being driven is usually linked to some external pull such as a need to fit in, to be accepted by peers or to be regarded as successful. Driven people find it difficult to say no. Being called on the other hand is having an internal sense of purpose. It is not being motivated by external accolades but by divine direction. Driven people find it difficult to say no while called people say no to things that look good but are detrimental to the health of their souls.
Driven leaders drive others. Called leaders lead gently. They are not lazy but they understand that busyness and activity are not the measure of progress but progressively following God. Jesus often stopped all activities, spa rating His followers into a deserted place in other or them to be refreshed. Jacob refused to drive the sheep. He chose to lead slowly, demonstrating his compassion for them.
In your leadership, you will be tempted sometimes to become driven and to drive. Resolve to lead your followers at a pace they can handle. Break down your huge vision into phases. Rather than dump everything you have to say on your followers at once, give information in chunks they can handle without becoming overwhelmed. Show compassion to the weak and faltering. Always remember that excessive drive leads to a crash and the eventual loss of the fulfillment of your vision. Lead gently like the savior who "... tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." (Isa 40:11). He is our example of great leadership.
Decision of the Day
I refuse to be a driven person but a called one. I will allow my soul to be in step with my schedule. I will not outrun my spirit. I will lead gently and with compassion like the savior.
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