“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
This phrase “Be Strong and Courageous”, often sounds as if it’s meant to be for those who are timid, weak, and otherwise without courage – much like what the Lion from Wizard of Oz needed. While we can’t just go to the Wizard and get what we need how do we go about obtaining what I believe, all of us as leaders hope to have more of?
As leaders, we understand the need to be self-aware enough to note our strengths and weaknesses; learning not to focus on building up weak areas, but leveraging our strengths to be better positioned.
Leadership we can attest, is both positional and dispositional. It’s positional in the sense that you’re always leading people into something greater than themselves. It’s also dispositional in that you’re working to tear down wrecked schools of thought and living, as well as, build new thought patterns and disciplines.
The tedious, often overlooked work a leader must do each day requires a certain strength and courage. Strength to not give up when faced with stagnation. The strength to admit our weaknesses to others and courage when faced with resistance or the need to delegate.
The greatest tension we all face, whether in ministry, your home, or community is that most people have not signed on to grow. So the strength and courage required daily is unending and inevitable. None escape the need to draw from a ready supply. So when you find your source, before you completely drain it, consider replenishing with your time, talent, and treasure.
In order to bring support and enable your team, or family, or customers. The position from which this, and any type of strength arises from – is always from (on) your knees. This position, or disposition rather, is the location for which the strength and courage is found.
Such wise words Paul. It is daily intentionality around strength and courage to grow, and grow, and grow. Thank you!