Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. They come with various personalities and backgrounds. They come with diverse goals and dreams. Some inspire with charisma, some influence with intellect, some lead through relationships, and some insist on good processes. As different as leaders are, there are a few common challenges that all leaders face.
Whether you are leading a classroom or a baseball team, whether you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or the single employee of a start up, Moses’ leadership reminds us that there are some things that even God-called leaders just don’t get.
Leaders don’t get complete support.
By God’s power, Moses delivered the people of Israel from slavery, yet many of them were not satisfied with his leadership. Before we criticize the criticizers, let us consider the situation. In Egypt, the people had food, shelter, and a job. And no one was trying to kill them. Now, under Moses’ leadership, the food source was not yet certain, the housing market was difficult, and the most powerful army in the world was chasing them down like a duck on a June bug. With all due disrespect for the complainers, I get it. In order to obey God, Moses put the people in a vulnerable spot, and that put him in a vulnerable spot with the people.
I like to think that Moses had a few cheerleaders along the way, but the nature of leadership invites criticism. Leaders put people in difficult places and ask for difficult things. For some people, making bricks will do, and not even the godliest leader can pry their muddy hands away from that assignment. But there are other people who really do want something more, but even they struggle with doubt or poor information or lack of skill that cause them to look back or even pull back when the pressure is on.
Leaders ask people to do things that people do not want to do or do not think they can do. Those people often look for comfort and validation in the midst of their sorrow. They find that comfort and validation by communicating with other people about their discomfort. Sometimes we call this comfort food gossip. That is right. Every leader should know that people will gossip, gripe, and murmur (I do not know the technical difference between those three words. I just used all three for effect) behind your back. That is the nature of leadership.
When a leader takes people out into the wilderness, they will not always be excited about it.
Leaders don’t get complete knowledge.
God gave Moses a few commands and made Moses a few important promises, but there were many things Moses did not know when he started on the journey out of Egypt. Leaders do not know everything they are asking. Leaders do not know everything they are doing. We can seek God, obey God, and trust God, but none of that means God tells us everything. Actually, there is always more that a leader does not know than what a leader does know. Surely Moses knew there was a sea called Red in the pathway of escape from Egypt, but there is no indication that he had any clue how they would overcome that obstacle. Was that poor preparation? Not at all. We call that spiritual leadership.
Leaders load up the boat and launch out with limited information trusting an unlimited God. Some people may feel like a leader is keeping them in the dark, but the truth is that leaders are often in the dark. They are fellow pilgrims walking by faith, obeying God, and trusting Him to open up a clear path when the time is just right.
Do you remember when Moses sent the twelve spies into the promise land? Everyone wanted more information, but God just wanted His people to trust Him. But they went with the full report from the ten spies, and they wandered in the wilderness for another forty years. Sometimes information is not as helpful as we might think. Instead, God asks us to walk by faith in Him more than by sight on our circumstances.
Leaders don’t get complete resolution.
Moses organized the people. He protected the people. He received the Law of God and gave it to the people. And he served the purpose of God in his generation. But along the way, there were setbacks. I recently read that in one moment after the golden calf debacle, 3000 men fell dead as a result of their disobedience. No matter how you spin it, that is not a good day for a leader. Ultimately, Moses had to go back to the mountain and get new tablets from God. Sometimes leaders do not cross the finish line; they just have to keep going.
Many leaders promise results. We often evaluate leaders based on what they produce. And there is place for that, but ultimately spiritual leadership is not about fixing something. Only Jesus can redeem what sin has stolen and fix what is broken in the human heart. Spiritual leadership is less about solving something and more about helping people trust God again and again and again. Maybe that is why God left His people to wander the same desert roads for so long. Maybe dust in our mouths produces the best results of all.
The apparent lack of progress, however, can create an irritating impatience in the best of us. As leaders and followers alike we can allow our expectations to carry us away from God’s purpose. We can demand results from others and ourselves right this minute. We want to know we are not wasting our lives. The people around us want to know we are not wasting their time. Yet of our most revered faith heroes, we read these words, “All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised” (Hebrews 11:39).
After a particularly disappointing Sunday morning, I was beginning the predictable self-loathing, and asking God why He was making me waste my life like this. A text message popped on my screen. I was afraid to read it. A text message after a downer Sunday can not be good. Reluctantly, I opened it to read a word of gratitude for how God used me to encourage and build up the faith of a brother in Christ. My spiritual radar is not always tuned in, but in that moment God reminded me that His call is never a waste.
It seems spiritual leaders may die without all of the greatest results, but they always die with the greater reward.
It is true. There are some things that leaders just don’t get and never will, and by God’s grace, we are all better for it.