Who should we follow?
It seems everywhere you turn on the internet these days, there are opportunities to learn about leadership or how to be a leader or a better leader. There is quite a dearth when it comes to follower-ship. Where is a book on the X number of steps to becoming a better follower? If you were to look at the bookshelves at any bookstore, you will find all sorts of books about leadership, but leadership presupposes someone to lead . . . doesn’t it?
There is this pernicious notion out there in Western culture that if you are a leader, then you are nothing. True, there is some room for the ad hoc leaders in working groups and other places where non-formal leadership can be exercised, but really, it seems you lead, or you are useless. There are a few things wrong with this sort of thinking. First, if everyone is a leader, then how does the work get done, and who does it? Second, what if a person’s personality and inclinations are in directions other than leading others? Third, what about people who, no matter how many books they read, podcasts they listen to, and conferences they attend, remain lousy leaders? What makes this notion so destructive is its willingness to declare only leaders have value . . . which is errant nonsense.
The rant is over, so who should we follow? The simple answer is Jesus. The slightly more complicated answer is to choose to follow Jesus every day. Not really complicated, not hard but not especially easy either; but then again, doing the right things isn’t always easy.
Blessings,
