The average human spends 79 years or 28,835 days on Earth. That’s an average of 692,040 hours of life. When we ask, “How long does God take to make you a leader?” The answer is: God will take a lifetime.
In his book “The Making of a Leader,” Dr. Robert Clinton explains that leader development requires a long-range perspective. God’s training program rests in the heart of the person, where God is at work. Testing, training, trials, and triumphs combine to make you the leader God designed you to be. Nothing is off the table. God uses every moment of your life to uncover your unique gifts.
Clinton explains, “God cares about what we are.” Yes, God cares about what we have or need. But at His core, God cares about our character.
Once we’re saved, we don’t receive a “get out of jail free” ticket. God didn’t call us to get on the proverbial “grace bus”, sit down and enjoy a long, disruption-free life with the beverage of your choice.
Yes, we rest under the provision and grace of God, but we shouldn’t expect the wake of God to hold all things as “status quo”. The Gospel declares something different.
Jesus secured our salvation. But we throw in things like cancer or the loss of a spouse or child, and we ask, “what is the point of life?”
We say, “I thought God was good” and then we question the true meaning of this thing called “life or grace or salvation.”
We watch as people, broken and hurting, recoil into their homes and lives, questioning if God is good. They never recover. They never live the calling God has on their life.
I’ve heard countless people talk about the trials of life and dismiss them, saying, “We’ll be better when we get to Heaven.” Yes, that is probably true, but Heaven has many layers. We don’t know what Heaven will be like, so don’t wait for the blessings of God to appear in Heaven. Today, God is calling and challenging us to grow in His provision and strength.
Eternity is for the saving of souls. The Gospel message saves souls. It saved mine and yours. It will save your neighbor, your enemy, and your preacher all the same. We’re not called to put on salvation armor and hide in the glory bunker until the storm blows over. We are called to love.
The church likes to build things. We need places for healing and to escape the storms of life. But God didn’t call us to sit and build empires or Towers of Babel. In the book of Acts, God broke up the early church. He sent the Apostles out into the world – through pressure and pain, because – well, he told them to go.
When God calls us, we’re afraid. We question His calling and our ability. We see the confusion or insecurity and think that we are not equipped for the task at hand.
Here are four areas where God refines us as leaders:
- In Our Service: He called us to serve, so the world would see and know His love.
- Through Our Surrender: We must surrender. Surrender is a term that we often shy away from. We perceive it to be a failure, but it is not. It’s reckless abandonment. When we surrender to God’s strength, sovereignty, and sustenance, we grow in humility and grace.
- With Our Shape: When we lay everything at the feet of Jesus, God reshapes us into the leader He called us to be. Our unique design, experiences, fears, and regrets are used to mold us into the person God calls us to become.
- Amidst Our Season: When you get discouraged, remember, God, called you. Each season provides a new space for God to refine your character. Seasons look different for each person, but rest assured God uses each chapter of your life to refine you.
“It was good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.” Psalm 117:19 (ESV).
Remember: You never become a leader: it’s a lifelong process. Don’t miss it. Don’t overlook the process or the training as a holy appointment because it doesn’t look like you think it should look. In each season and suffering, God builds you into the leader He called you to be. So, weary traveler, stay the course. The world needs you to be the best version of you!
All my love
Danita
“Leadership is a lifetime of lessons” – Dr. J. Robert Clinton.