Being obedient to God may cost you important relationships. Leadership, by its very nature, makes you stand alone from time to time because of your distinctive vision, principles and decisions.
Dr. Myles Munroe shares in his book “Becoming a Leader:”
“Leadership is lonely, because to lead means you must be out in front, ahead of the followers. Also, because the leader is the one with the guiding vision and purpose, he sees the end from the beginning and must live both the process and destination, all at the same time.”
Leaders must realize that the decisions they make may not be politically correct, or even ones that reflect the hearts of the majority. However, since the leader is the visionary, it is important that the vision is pursued despite the friendships and relationships that may be lost in the process. There were times where Jesus’ preaching and teaching alienated Him from many of His followers, yet it never detracted Him from His mission. After one of his sermons (John 6:60-69), many stopped following Jesus because of His life-giving message. This will happen to every leader.
So the loneliness phase is part of the development of every leader. In this phase, you will learn to trust God to the point that if every one leaves and forsakes you, you remain confident, knowing that it is God who called and ordained you. And even in the worst-case scenario, if all your friends should leave you, you will have the assurance that God will never leave nor forsake you. His promises clearly state that whatever we lose for the Gospel’s sake shall be restored to us supernaturally:
“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” — Matthew 19:29
I want to hear from you. Please let me know what you thought about this week’s blog entry. If you have any areas that you want me to share about, please feel free to let me know.
Applying wisdom to everyday life for extraordinary results,
Victor Nazario
