As I was praying this morning, meditating on the words written by Luke the physician I was overwhelmed by the simplicity of two statements. The first found in Chapter 1:37 when the angel of the Lord recounts to Mary that Elizabeth is pregnant in her old age, and he says: "For the word of God will never fail," and secondly when Elizabeth says to Mary in verse 45 of the same chapter, "You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said." In two instances in the reading this morning it is said that Mary pondered the things she heard and kept them in her heart. Two women deeply humbled by the mere thought they they were chosen for such a high privilege of service. Elizabeth to give birth to John the forerunner of the Messiah, and Mary, the mother of the Messiah, the Savior of all men. Imagine it. And yet He has called each of us in one capacity or another to fulfill a place in the kingdom. The cost is humility, obedience, service, and trust. It also requires courage, because we will always encounter those who do not understand, as did Mary and Elizabeth, but just as they did we simply respond in humble submission and trust.
Considering my own set of circumstances, I once more asked Abba for his direction, His desire for my life. I honestly don't know what I will be doing one day to the next, because I have purposed only to be obedient to each day's call. Because I am working I naturally have schedules and tasks for each day, but other than that I must say my plans for the future rest solely in God's hands. I am at a place of shattered dreams and death to vision, and this allows me to wait expectantly for what is to come - the better things. Too much of my life has been spent in striving with God. I never intended on being disobedient or focused on what I wanted, but I fell into the snares of the enemy, because of my loneliness and desires to be wanted and loved. My desires to be "worth something" in someone's eyes. This is the way life becomes, because we are infinitely human, so we look elsewhere, anywhere, except into the eyes of our loving Father. So, as I am learning to clearly see, I am content to wait, because I know the answers will come.
The company for which I work sets performance goals for us to achieve each year as part of our annual evaluation. One of the goals includes additional opportunties, so we were given a list of webinars we could listen to for credit towards the fulfillment of this goal. Seems easy enough, but in attempting to assess the training we encountered many problems. So I took it upon myself to figure out the problem, and through a series of trials and mistrials, working with the developer of this program and IT, I finally managed to attend and receive credit for several of these training sessions. Some of the courses were presented by a group of researchers with the aim of creating equality in the workplace by setting goals and ways to measure progress. One in particular I found very interesting and potentially very useful for leaders, as these webinars were designed for leaders and managers.
The training was geared towards helping managers train their employees not only in the job they were in at the present but to look beyond at the qualities they displayed for future opportunities. Typically when a worker is hired for a particular position he or she is provided with the training to accomplish the work. They are then mentored, hopefully, by those who are already trained and successfully completing their roles with the intention of helping the new trainee became acclimated to the requirements and in turn to be released into the role on their own. Naturally, people learn differently, using the senses of sight, hearing, and touch, and the skills to each are gifted, so people learn at different paces, and some not as quickly as others. This is where patience comes into play. A good leader will not only be able to sense and anticipate these challenges but will work earnestly in resolving any hindrances in the learning process in order for the employee to become successful in achieving the requirements of the position. Often there are those who simply do not "fit" for the position, but a good leader can anticipate this early on, and quite possibly be able to creatively suggest another avenue. Think about it, if after going through an often arduous process of interviews by several examiners and inquisitors in order to be offered the position in the first place, and after spending a great deal of time and money to training this employee initially before they even encounter the first day of the actual job for which they were hired, why would a company want to lose someone who possibly may be better suited to another role within the company? Makes sense...dollar and cents sense as well as the human component of engaging a talented person in using their unique skills set in serving the needs of the company. But this requires insight.
So basically the concept, which is really common sense, because I've done this in my role as an underling, is to see beyond the scope of the present job to the future goals or ambitions of each employee. In the interview process the potential employees are asked where they see themselves in five years or more, and the question generally relates to within the hiring company. Again, if one responds to that question in honesty, as someone I know, eventually an astute inquisitor will take notice of the integrity of the response, and quite possibly doors will open to that employee unexpectedly. After all interviews are talent searches for engaging and empowering future leaders. It's a game, and as you know, I am fond of games.
On the flip side, when the employee has been hired, trained, but lacks the skills to succeed at the present job, a good manager will work to discover and resolve any difficulties that one is having in meeting goals. But more than that needs to take place in leadership in each employee, and that requires ingenuity and the ability to see beyond the scope of the present position to the unique gifts observed by said leader while communicating with and observing this individual, taking the time to ask and communicate ideas regarding what you feel about the abilities of this person, then taking the step beyond the present role as manager to engage the person into setting steps towards the future goal or dream for the future. Even if the goals involve engagement outside of the company, and the future dream employment elsewhere. These are the qualities of a good leader. Someone who walks beside, who encourages, interacts, and who engages.
As I was reading and praying I thought about this training and how these same qualities of leadership are the qualities of Jesus. The crowds followed Him just to hear Him speak, feel His love and kindness, his compassion for their needs. He saw the battered souls, the deepest darkest needs, and He healed them physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, every need met. As a teacher to his disciples He was patient, and He demonstrated in His actions the humility a leader needs if he is to serve others. In His humility Jesus washed the disciple's feet, and in His example, His ultimate sacrifice in service, he laid down His life for the needs of another. To save our souls, He gave His own life as an atonement for ours.
And so it should be for each of us regardless of the role we play in life - father, mother, child, teacher, student, employer, employee, local, State, or world government...President of the United States. With the latter, I really have to look beyond the initial impression I receive when considering those who vie for this highest position of government, the one who will appoint Supreme Court Justices to settle our disputes as a nation. And to do so I need to look within myself, to my character and consider unique qualities of a true leader, a servant of the people, a defender of the cause of righteousness on which our nation was established. And I need above all to humble myself, ask God to forgive my sins of omission for not considering His qualities as those of a true leader of the people, and humbly ask Him to direct my heart in seeing deeply into the heart of the person when I vote for President and other positions of leadership in our nation and locally. We are all leaders in one way, shape, or form, and it is time to take our positions seriously. As children desire boundaries, someone to teach them the right ways, so we need Godly men and women to shape the future of the nation and our world.
When I began to write this blog I had no intentions of writing this final part, but I feel God wanted it this way. As for myself I choose to look beyond the fiery words spoken defensively or otherwise into the heart of the man or a running for an office, and ask God to show me the true servant qualities of the person who would fill the role of servant of the people, then vote according to what my heart, not my head tells me. We all say and do things, and words spoken cannot be retracted, but in His love, in His mercy, and by His grace God has forgiven each of us regardless of the sin in word or deed. I want to always be cognizant of that fact that I am a sinner saved by grace and not judge another. I want to follow the leadership example of Jesus Christ in obedience to my Father in all things.
