In some area of life, should one choose to embrace the responsibility, we should all be demonstrating leadership. Whether a person’s life challenges them to lead something as great as a nation or whether they are called to take the lead in the direction of a small, private conversation, we all should be ready to model healthy leadership by word and example. So whether we have a leadership title like president, director, teacher, pastor, boss or whether we have no title at all, we all lead others and set a healthy course for others by our example. Many an unhealthy conversation that could have resulted in tragedy has been diverted by a humble example of directing the conversation towards a Jesus-like conclusion.
But wanting to lead people on the high road can get tiring. Over the course of time, even the sincerest follower of Jesus can start forgetting that how one leads is just as important as getting the desired results. Over the course of time, we might even stop caring about how we lead and start becoming a little careless about whether we look like Jesus as we do life.
When we find ourself frustrated with conversations, discouraged over selfish choices, weary of the harshness of human interaction, it can cause us to feel exhausted, burdened, and even angry. When we get into that rut, we have to remember how Jesus faced it all. He wanted to let us know that He understands when He said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Jesus tells us to learn from Him and stay gentle and humble. Whether leading on the job, in the community, in the church, in our homes or in a private conversation, we need to continually remind ourselves to not be boastful, prideful, self-promoting, unkind, or harsh. Rather, we are to ask Jesus how we can learn from Him to be gentle as we lead and humble as we speak. Jesus identified this as being like a child. “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:4). If we can remain innocent and unfazed by others in a prideful and harsh world, we can find that staying close to Jesus ends up being a journey that is joyfully “easy” and “light.”