We need RELUCTANT Leaders

     To understand what is wrong in our country and with our leaders you need to understand Jesus' words to his disciples about leadership. 

    Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,  and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

     You see the problem is we have have inverted the pyramid in our country.  We have all the power at the top and not at the bottom.  If you look at our past leaders, who stands out as our greatest leaders and what quality did they share?   Two that come first to mind is George Washington and the second is Abraham Lincoln.    Both of these leaders understand this principle and applied it to their lives.   I am not saying they were not "ambitious" but they were able to contain that ambition for the common good.   They truly saw their job as being a "servant" to the many.   Washington went back to being a farmer after the war.  When the Articles of Confederation failed, he did not go rushing off to Philadelphia to "fix the problem" or offer a solution with "himself at the center".   No!    They went to him to urge him to come back and fill this role.   His answer to those men was not "What's in it for me?" instead he responded "Have I not already given enough for my country?"   When Washington had finished two terms HE decided that he was in office long enough and stepped down.  He could have run again and probably won.  But he knew HE was setting the bar for all future Presidents.  I think Washington followed Jesus' words on leadership.   He could have been made a king after the Revolution and he even had to go and show his frailty to a group of soldiers who were planning to take over the country and make him their king.   

      We need to find leaders like Washington today.  They are still out there, but you won't find them on the golf course or sailing a boat to Martha's Vineyard.   Most likely they are out their harvesting their corn or baling hay.   We just have to keep looking!