Longterm Leadership
We’re kicking off a new series called *Letters to Leaders*, looking at Paul’s letters to Timothy. Timothy was a young pastor who had been mentored by Paul before setting off on his own to pastor at Ephesus.
It’s important that, as we begin, we all understand that we are leaders. All of us! Yes, that means you. All of us, by example, position, or relationship, are leading those around us in some way. This is even more significant for Jesus’ followers, who are called to lead others.
You may not feel like a leader or think of yourself as one, but you are. Sometimes we assume leadership means charisma or public speaking abilities, but the truth is that leadership is more about the way we live and what we exemplify for others.
As we begin this journey of discovery into the leaders God has called us to be, we must first understand that leadership requires playing the long game. Instant gratification and leading others well rarely go hand in hand. Effective leaders must have patience for the journey and ultimately rely fully on God for strength, vision, and wisdom.
To be a leader who lasts and to have long-term leadership, we must first, as Paul reminded Timothy in 2 Timothy 2, have patience for the present. Great leadership isn’t developed, executed, or quantified overnight.
Paul uses the example of an athlete training for competition to remind us that things worth building take time and hard work.
Leadership isn’t for quitters! We will face discouragement, testing, and tiredness on our way to seeing God fulfill the vision we have for those around us. Leaders need patience to do the small, repetitive things, to love and encourage those who still “haven’t gotten it,” and faith to believe that what God has spoken will come to pass. This is the test of a true leader: patience to stick it out.
Long-term leadership also requires that we know the true source of our strength. The call to leadership is not easy, but we are not in this alone! Psalm 28 reminds us that the Lord is our strength. We can endure and have the strength to step into the opportunities to lead that God has presented because we are not in this alone!
The name of God, *El Sali*, means “The Lord is my strength.” Fascinatingly, the first time we see it is not someone referring to God but instead God referring to Himself in Exodus 17:6. Moses was frustrated with the people, and it was God who provided a solution to their problem.
God is our strength as leaders, enabling us to step into whatever we are called to do without fear. God is our strength to defend us when we’re overwhelmed. On our own, we are insufficient, but in Jesus, we are more than enough.
