This is the first article in what will be a series on leadership from the book of Nehemiah. I thought it might be good to provide a brief introduction and clarify a few things before jumping into the actual meat of this series on being a leader. So, before getting carried away, let’s cover a few things now.
- Nehemiah is just one book among sixty six which forms God’s story. It is first and foremost a book which should be read in light of this grand story. However, it is also a book full of useful principles we can apply to our life, specifically when it comes to leadership. My hope is that we can take hold of some leadership principles without losing sight of the greater work of Nehemiah in the larger context of scripture.
- The articles in this series will be a collection of general characteristics. As such, not every characteristic can be applied in every situation. All situations and people are different. Some attributes of leadership will be simply unusable for person A, others will be unuseable for person B. Please take what is useful and disregard was is not. What is useful is probably from the Lord, what is not is probably from me.
- Not everyone who reads this series will be a captain on their team, a boss in their workplace, or the head of one of their peer groups. But, I truly believe we all have the ability, opportunity, and duty to display leadership qualities in all parts of our life, whether society labels us as “leaders” or not.
In light of that last point, the goal in writing this series is to help people learn to lead well. To help hockey players and parents learn to lead the way that God might want them to lead. It is not my intention to give the impression that we must be labeled a leader. Nor, do I think this is God’s intention for our lives (although this might be argued by some). Simply wearing the “C” is not the same thing as leading. There is a difference between a title and a way of life. It is the way of life I am after. This is what I believe God is after as well. Titles come and go, but habits of leadership can always be applied.
So, I hope you join me as we walk with Nehemiah through his trials and triumphs. And hopefully, when we reach our final destination we will have become more like the people God has called us to be.
"There has always been a true elite of God’s leaders. They are the meek who inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). They weep and pray in secret, and defy earth and hell in public. They tremble when faced with danger, but die in their tracks sooner than turn back. They are like a shepherd defending his sheep or a mother protecting her young. They sacrifice without grumbling, give without calculating, suffer without groaning. To those in their charge they say “we live if you do well”. Their price is above rubies. They are the salt of the earth. And Nehemiah was one of them." - John White
