When I was a sophomore in high school, I ran for president of our class. I think my dad was a bit worried about my over-the-top optimism that all things would going swimmingly because one morning on the way to school, he asked me if I was ready for the challenges that come with leading people.
I donât remember how I responded. However, I do remember asking him if there was anything I could do to avoid the so-called challenges I might face if I land the position.
âYes,â he said with a sly smile. âAvoid people.â
I have since learned how true it is that leadership can be difficult because people can be difficult. But should this really surprise us as Christians? We lead sinners, and we lead as sinners. Itâs perfectly imperfect all around.
Whether youâre a parent, a boss, a teacher, or a ministry leader, everyone has a role in leading people in some capacity, and itâs not always easy. In the book of Numbers, Moses, one of the great leaders in the Bible, laments how difficult it is to lead a group of challenging people.
The Israelites had complainedâŚand complainedâŚand complained. Though God had provided for them in miraculous ways, though He had given them manna to nourish their families, they were not satisfied.
And so, they approached their leader, Moses, with their wailings and shared their desire for meat and other luxuries. They literally mourned over the days in Egypt (somehow forgetting the whole slavery bit), and reflected on the long-lost days when they had cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlicâŚand meat (Num. 11:4-6)
In Egypt, they were beaten and forced into gruesome labor, but somehow that slipped their mind. Somehow their miraculous deliverance from this awful place was moved to the backburner, and they just plain wanted meat. God didnât provide the stinking meat!
For the love of meat.
The Burden of Leading
Here is what Moses says to the Lord about this grumbling group:
âWhy have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, âCarry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,â to the land that you swore to give their fathers? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, âGive us meat, that we may eat.â I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchednessâ (Num. 11:11-14)
Mosesâ words to the Lord are impassioned, raw, and honest. Heâs angry. And I canât blame him for his frustration, as stark as his words are.
Anyone who has been in a leadership position can identify with his utter frustration. If youâre a parent, you know what itâs like to lose your cool when a child does not obey after asking them to respond multiple times in a row. As a boss, you understand the annoyance of an employee who constantly complains about other employees.
And as a ministry leader, you know how easy it is to become irritated when a congregant readily offers critiques without being a part of the solution. Itâs all so frustrating. And yet, as relatable as his words are, there is sin in Mosesâ response as a leader.
The Blessing of Leading
In verse 14 he essentially says to God, I canât do this on my own. Itâs too much, and Iâve had enough. The temptation for any leader, as it was with Moses, is to look inward, to try to find that inner strength to do what God has called us to do. Moses takes his eyes off Jesus and focuses them entirely onto himself, and in doing so, he completely loses his cool.
This idea of âinner strengthâ that society pushes down our throats is nonsense, and itâs damaging to everyone, and especially to leaders. As soon as you start thinking you can carry on the task God has given you by your own might, you have swung the door wide open for pride to interfere.
This is where the beautiful doctrine of being In Christ comes into play. Our daily existence is lived out in union with Christ. Our work is done In Christ; we parent In Christ. Our leading is accomplished In Christ. And because this is true, we must abide in Him, and not rely on our own strength.
John Piper says this about abiding in Christ: âAbiding is trusting in Jesus, remaining in fellowship with Jesus, connecting to Jesus so that all that God is for us in Him is flowing like a life-giving sap into our lives. Abiding is believing, trusting, savoring, resting, and receiving.â
When we abide in Christ and are in regular fellowship with Him, we are quicker to ask for forgiveness and admit our errors as leaders. And when Christâs life-giving sap is overflowing in us, there is no room to harbor bitterness toward difficult followers.
We donât have the strength to lead in the area God has called us to lead. Not on our own. And on days when we feel depleted or inadequate as leaders, how wonderful it is to know that our ability to lead well does not depend on us but on our leader, Jesus, the One who carries the burden for us.
