Have been reading some books about spiritual leadership this past week or so and am now feeling thoroughly challenged. Thank goodness for grace and thank goodness that God is so patient. Thank goodness for the work of the Holy Spirit, honing and shaping so we at least become something like the person we need to be in order to fulfil God's call in our lives. They say that God doesn't call the qualified, but qualifies the called. It's a process I need to submit to and co-operate with. Am I willing? It will demand some strenuous soul work.
Here is an extract from the book I have been reading this morning ( Spiritual Leadership; Principles of Excellence for Every Believer, by J. Oswald Sanders.):
'To lead others, you must master your appetites. A leader must be resilient in disappointment, learn from criticism, even malicious criticism, exert discipline without making a power play, make others feel valued, accept opposition without taking offence, hold steady in the face of disapproval, have no prejudices but love all types of people, be tactful, forgive, be optimistic, in fact be positively visionary, and be single-mindedly dedicated to God first above all else.'
'If we are overly sensitive when criticized, and rush to defend ourselves, that must go. If we make excuses for failure and try to blame others or circumstances, that must go. If we are intolerant or inflexible, so that creative people around us feel hemmed in, that must go.'
'If you cannot keep a secret, do not try to lead. If you cannot yield a point when someone else's ideas are better, save yourself the frustration of failed leadership. If you want to maintain an image of infallibility, find something else to do besides leading people.'
Mmm......time to start working on some intentional character training in partnership with the Holy Spirit then.
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