When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, His size and shape and form were unexpected. Even in His smallest form, Jesus was despised and rejected. Herod the King felt so threatened by Jesus, that he did all he could to have Baby Jesus killed. Jesus came to fulfill the law and prophecies. He loved, touched, and healed the unlovely, the sick, and the marginalized. He cared more about loving and freeing people, more than He cared about following all the religious laws and rituals of His day. In fact, most of what Jesus said and did was countercultural. He came on a mission to seek and save the lost and to set captives free. What Jesus said and did was so good, but most people didn’t understand Him, even those who followed Him.
When God calls people into spiritual leadership, our initial response isn’t always God-honoring. Like Moses, we find all the excuses in the world to fight the call God has on our lives. We also tend to judge people’s background when God calls them into leadership. Sometimes God has to change our mind and vision before He changes our heart.
Strong leaders come in all shapes and sizes. Each one has overcome obstacles, losses, and failures. Each one has survived and overcome trauma that would have ruined others. Endurance. Grit. Passion. Spirit-Driven. Stubborn. Relentless. Different. Unwavering. Rebel. Determined. Strong-willed. These words describe leaders who have changed our world.
But strong leaders don’t just happen. They’re developed by people who invest in them. Ask any strong leader their story, and you will discover people God used to invest in them and to develop them. Grandparents. Coaches. Teachers. Parents. Siblings. Next door neighbors. Supervisors. Adversity.Pain. Failure. Trauma. Loss. Grief. The faces behind these titles and words have changed us and helped us become stronger leaders.
During this season of giving, I want to encourage each of you to become intentional about giving yourself away. Come alongside and make time for someone who has potential and who has “issues.” Don’t let what’s wrong with you, or what’s wrong with them, stand in the way of deeply investing in the next strong-willed world-changer that you keep bumping into or you’re getting annoyed by. All it takes is a willing heart that’s surrendered to Christ, and God will transform obstacles, wounds, and baggage into centerpieces for relational ministry in a world filled with pain and problems.
If you need some props to get the conversations started, look at the Christmas tree pictured above. I’ve intentionalized the process of people development and relational development by creating 30 decks of discussion starters. The “game” is called Talking Matters. It begins with an Invitation Round. It leads into a 5-series Investment Round. And it concludes with a Challenge Round. Packed within the Investment Round are all the areas of life people care about and struggle with. Feelings Matter. Thinking Matters. Learning Matters. Actions Matter. People Matter. Words Matter. Family Matters. Kids Matter. Teens Matter. Parenting Matters. Marriage Matters. Seniors Matter. Sports Matter. Music Matters. Art Matters. Movies Matter. Food Matters. Work Matters. Money Matters. Leadership Matters. Health Matters. Church Matters. Identity Matters. Boundaries Matter. Faith Matters. Recovery Matters. Grief Matters.
The work of how to start the crucial conversations is already done for you. All you need to do is prayerfully decided who God is calling you to develop. Invest in some Talking Matters tools to launch the conversations. Make time and don’t stop investing. The people you begin discipling today may be with you for life. Invest deeply and invest well.
Just contact me this week at glenn@spiritdriven.org, and I’ll order your Talking Matters tools and make sure you get these stocking stuffers to you in time to bless those you care about. Your relationships will grow in depth and connectedness. The leader within and around you that comes in strange or small packages can get outside the box and change the world. Don’t hold back. Many of the strong leaders you already know, and they’re just waiting for someone to notice and invest in them. Go 4 it!