The Freeing of a Leader

Every leader has followers who gripe and complain. That is because it is in the nature of Man to gripe and complain. We are a species of grumblers. But this can be very difficult for a leader. Leaders, by our nature, want to make people happy and see them growing and moving forward. The truth is that at any given time, there may only be a few people who grumble about this or that, BUT to the leader, those few people can feel like a mob.

Here's the key for dealing with grumblers and complainers. As a leader you must be sold out to God's will; not only for your own life but for the lives of those who follow you. A leader must never make the mistake of seeing him or herself as the top of the food change. No matter what level of leader you may be, even if it is President of the United States, there is always One who is higher than you. God. He is the ultimate Leader of everything and everyone. When you can sell out to this truth and put the will of God for yourself and others as your highest goal, you will find yourself free from the grumbler.

Consider these words of Moses who dealt with an entire nation of grumblers:

Passage for Reflection:

Exodus 16:6-8 (ESV)
⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, "At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
⁷ and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?"
⁸ And Moses said, "When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him— what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord."

You see, when God is first, the grumbler is not really grumbling against you, but against God. I think this realization had to be freeing for Moses. He was able to take the criticism and complaints and let them roll off because he understood that the problem with these people was not a Moses problem, but a God problem.

Listen, my friend, as long as you are in the center of God's will for your life and leadership, you are free from the grumbler!

"Lord, thank you that the buck stops with you. Thank you for freedom. Amen."

Blessings,

Jeff