Follow The Leader I was 16 when I got my license to drive. My dad, a former NY Taxi Driver, partially taught me how to drive…So you can only imagine what my “Driving Genes” look like. Although he began to teach me how to drive, those lessons didn’t last too long but his habits stuck with me. We got on each other’s nerves and didn’t have any patience for each other. Luckily, I was still able to learn how to drive with the help of a private instructor. It was easy to learn from this person, although he was a stranger. I was able to see things from a different perspective and follow his lead, while learning the most important Do’s and Don’ts of driving. #WDTFIMT Moment I was driving home today and of course I ended up in the ill-reputed Atlanta traffic. Luckily I’ve learned how to get to a place using more than one route. As I began to make my way to my alternate route, my bladder decided that it needed to make a bathroom stop. I’ve been drinking a lot of water…so what else should I expect? In the back of my mind I’m rolling eyes and thinking where should I go. I then get my aha moment…I thought about stopping at Starbucks. I trust the presentation of their bathrooms AND I figured while I was there I can get a Triple Venti Vanilla Latte with extra syrup and whip cream. (I know that sounds like a lot…but it tastes like tea to me since I drink it on a regular basis). Sadly…I was more excited about getting to the latte than getting to the bathroom the moment I thought of Starbucks. Anywho, as I’m driving a lady to my left signals to move over in my direction. I had to make a decision as to either speed up to get to my destination quicker or to slow down and allow her to get in front of me. Although my bladder was dancing, I decided to slow down and let her move over in front of me…Praying that she knew what she was doing so I can get to my destination with no delay because I was on a dual mission. Then it hit me…Have you ever noticed that when you drive you are following the lead of the person in front of you, while the person behind you is following your lead??? We do this every day. We follow the lead of perfect strangers that drive. We drive trusting that the person would be mindful of how they handle/maneuver their car. We drive trusting that we would make it to our destination with no issues. If you think about it even further, we follow the lead of every one that switches a lane and momentarily we have to make sure we adjust how we drive to get used to the new person that is in front of us. No different when we switch lanes, the person that is behind us has to temporarily adjust to our habits. If you have driven a car for years, then this is something that you can do in your sleep. BUT if someone makes the wrong move, makes the wrong turn, or makes a hardfast break…something is bound to happen and the aftermath would be nothing pretty. Driving is no different than relationships and the things that we may deal with on an everyday basis. We have to be mindful of what we bring the table. We also have to be mindful that when we drive a car, we may be driving in the same direction of other people, but we are not necessarily going to end up at the same destination. We may be driving in the same direction, but many of us are driving at different speeds. I don’t think it’s possible that everyone could ever drive at the same speed every time. Regardless, we are put in the position to follow someone else’s lead as we make our way towards our final destination as leaders. But one question to ask yourself, as it was presented to me, how willing are you to humble yourself in order to follow the lead of someone else as you are leading others…Even if the person is a stranger. I thought about this in depth…yes in the short time as I made my way to Restroom Freedom and the GREATEST Latte ever. Work – Regardless of where you work and regardless of the title you hold, you have to follow the lead of someone. Ironically, we do not see God the same way we do not see the CEO of a major corporation, but we still have to follow the rules of the CEO. We are trusted as leaders in some form of fashion to carry out the mission and vision of the company as a whole. Do you follow the leader easily at work as you should or do you make it hard for others to follow you? What if you owned your own business? Wouldn’t you want your employees to trust you and follow your lead as you trust them to lead as well? Ministry – Like the work place, you have to deal with a multitude of personalities. Regardless of the schizophrenic episodes that you may experience within a given ministry, do you ever catch the schizophrenic bug and speak against the leadership of the church after hearing a great message? Or do you make it a point to follow the vision that God gave to the pastor/leader of the church. We all claim to be Christians, but when it comes to certain things in the church we are quick to shout “Amen” to all of the things that we condemn others for…but we justify why we act the way we do when we are put on the spot for the lack of leadership skills/qualities that may be exhibited at a particular moment. Marriage – This is one area that I feel 2 people should ALWAYS drive in the same car…REGARDLESS of the direction they are going. May seem impossible, but it actually is possible. We all have different callings/purposes, but when dealing with a marriage they mesh into one somehow – if done the right way. Women are still considered leaders within a purpose, but in a marriage women should not hijack the car keys at all times and declare themselves the driver. (Yes…I am fully aware of me not potentially making any new friends after making a statement as such. BUT ask me if I care?). Women should see it as privilege to be a passenger in the car, but also see the importance of taking over the steering wheel when the men need assistance in doing so. And that means to take over the steering wheel still seeing the marriage as a ministry/partnership…Not a hostile takeover. Some men may be stubborn at times of asking for directions, but in order for those men to learn how to lead they have to circle I-285 a few times in order for them to see that they have to be a good leader - eventually ask for directions. AND just because men are to be the primary drivers, majority of the time, does not mean for them to drive wrecklessly - eventually putting everyone’s life in jeopardy. Friendships – You will always be in the presence of people that you tend to act like. From the way you talk to the way you dress…But are you truly cultivating friendships where your life still remains within purpose? Are you leading everyone or are they following you? Either way you look at who’s following who…if the direction leads towards a dead end things will eventually collide. God – As I thought of all of this, something else hit me. Following God’s lead is like driving a car with NO hands. Your foot is on the gas pedal, but you cannot control the wheel. You can’t control the turns you are to make. You can’t control the speed you drive in. You can’t even control when and where you have to pump the breaks. You do have a choice in a lot of things…BUT to follow God’s lead is allowing Him to drive the car even if you are in the driver’s seat. You truly have to want to follow God’s lead and not have control of the car at all. Struggling with God will eventually cause your car to spin out and cause a wreck. I’m sure that you can put yourself in more than one of the categories that are explained above. I don’t know what direction you are going in. I don’t know what turns you are going to make. You may be at a complete stop and in a traffic fiasco, but you have to remember that regardless of the situation you are leading someone as you are following someone else’s lead. You also have to remember that as you lead others, God should always remain in control. You determine the ease of your journey. Even if you end up driving through a storm and the wind shield is foggy, God can still guide you through allowing others to be able to see your break lights so you can still effectively lead them in the direction that you are traveling in. Ignoring the rules of driving can eventually make you total your car. #WDTFIMT Prayer Father, as you have made us leaders in some form of fashion, let us continously remain humble to follow Your lead as we lead others. Bring forth the characteristics that are not of You, so we can acknowledge the things that we need to work on. Let us remain dependent only on You. We ask that You touch the hearts of the leaders that we are to follow. If those leaders know You personally, let them always have the desire to seek You first in all things. For the leaders that do not know, as they should, let us be the light in their lives so they will see what an AWESOME God You are in our lives. We thank You and praise You in Jesus’ name…Amen.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 03:48:06 +0000
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