Every Christian is a Leader

jesus

A career counselor once told me, “I’m not sure if you’re a leader” when I went to consult him after my first baby was born. I was utterly confused about what to do with my professional life. His definition of leader was a little vague and abstract and I didn’t understand it at all. Ever since then, I have been reflecting on what a leader is.

An Example of Leadership

On March 2nd, Texas Governor Greg Abbott made some decisions to drop mask mandates and open up businesses and facilities to 100%. He got a lot of negative press. Luckily, all went well, and on March 17th Texas reported zero COVID-related deaths for the first time in 13 months. There was a tweet that I saw on March 2nd that made me realize what leadership really is. The tweet quoted Abbott’s statements and said, “This is LEADERSHIP!”

How Do You Lead?

How do you lead another person or group of people in a direction? How do you influence others’ actions, whether they be your circle of friends, a state, a country? When you are the first to do or say something.

When the crowd, the majority, is all saying something or doing something and you have the courage to say or do the opposite, that is leadership. There will undoubtedly be others who have the same opinion or the desire to do the same and they will be encouraged to follow if you pave the way.

There is a saying in Portugal (where I live), which goes “the nail which sticks out gets the first blow of the hammer”. This is to say that in your workplace, for example, if all the nails (your coworkers) look the same and in their place, and you stick out with a statement or attitude, you might get some negative consequences.

Jesus, The Firstborn

Jesus says “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). He is the ultimate leader. He came to pave the way that did not exist and was impossible for us even to forge for ourselves. He is quite literally the way. Jesus is also the nail that stuck out and got hit by a big hammer called the Roman empire.

Jesus is also called the “firstborn”, almost like our older brother. “The firstborn of all creation” (Col 1:15); “the firstborn from the dead” (Col 1:18 and Rev 1:5); “the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom 8:29).  Sometimes the eldest of siblings has the hardest job of paving the way for other siblings, whether that be at school, in the family, or in life in general. Who has never heard of an older sibling coming to defend their younger sibling in a physical fight in school? The oldest sibling has no one to defend them. Sometimes the oldest siblings have personalities that tend more to leadership and assertiveness.

In The Horse and His Boy, C.S. Lewis says: “For this is what it means to be a king: to be first in every desperate attack and last in every desperate retreat…”. We celebrate the feast of Christ the King every November and Jesus is definitely also this king described in Narnia that leads us in battle, not just barking orders from a safe place, but laying his life on the line first. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Effective People

This is where the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” is timeless. The first three habits are about working on yourself, good habits that build you up internally because you are really the only person you can have some control over. The second group of habits is how to influence (never control) others. That is only possible when it flows out of that work you put into yourself first. To be a leader, to influence others in a certain direction, you have to have a lot of guts. You aren’t just born with “guts” (courage, prudence, fortitude) but these are virtues, good habits, that you work on with tiny little decisions that prepare you for the big ones.

Every Christian is a Leader

Now I know that I am a leader. I see this happening in my life: God calls me to a variety of counter-cultural, challenging decisions and it is hard to go through with them. I get a lot of criticism like Greg Abbott did. I doubt myself and if I am doing the right thing. But then surprisingly I see other people following my lead.

Every Christian is called to leadership. The word “Christian” means “little Christ” and there can be no followers of other people in the Church. We follow Christ, our leader, our Good Shepherd, not the crowd. That means sticking out, being the first to say or do something, suffering persecution, sometimes laying down our very life, in our own circumstances, family, group of friends, and town. God places us where He needs us and where there is a lack of true Christian leadership.

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6 thoughts on “Every Christian is a Leader”

    1. The article on Biden triggered misunderstanding, hurt, and anger. The main thesis of the piece was that the present Catholic President is unfairly condemned for attempting a delicate balancing act between being faithful to the Church’s teachings on abortion and the dilemma of governing a diverse society but it was not based on all the facts. The issues facing the president aren’t just about whether to allow safe and rare abortions but about promoting scientific experimentation and exploitation of unborn human beings. The push to expand these experiments cannot be called the “common good” by anyone with moral convictions, not just Catholics

  1. Pingback: VVEDNESDAY EDITION – Big Pulpit

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