We have been called to lead others at one point of our lives. Whether it is in a group activity at school, or a position to be filled in a community or an organization. My journey with leadership was not a walk in the park, but the lessons and experiences were really worth it.
My earliest memory of being a leader was in grade school. I was very young then when I was elected as class president. I thought it was a sure way to win a Leadership Award by the end of the school year. I had never been more wrong.
High school came. I joined a student council called Samahan ng Istudyanteng Lider or SIL for short. We were simply a group of students in charge of disciplining our fellow students. From there, it changed my point of view about leading. I learned so many things I need to know about – three words: Service in love. SIL for short.
Lead not because you are told to do so. Lead as a way of showing your love to people.
Not all of the times, things will go our way or people would appreciate what we are doing. Just because we are in the position to lead does not mean we have the entire control on everything. That is why we need to reflect on the reasons why do we need to lead and how we should lead. It is not really ourselves that we should serve but the people around us. It is also not doing things on your own but doing these things together for the better of everyone.
At the end of the day, it is all about us being Christ.
Leading people is not a burden. In times when you feel like giving up, think about the people you are serving. The struggles we experience are not obstacles in life we have to face alone. The love that you have for those people maybe more than enough to overcome those obstacles and drive you to serve more.
There is joy in leadership. You do not have to wait until the end to get the fruits of your leadership. The chance to lead is already a blessing. After all, what could possibly be more fun than serving the people around you? Leading is more than knowing what is best of a group or knowing what is right from wrong. Leading is actually becoming selfless.
I can name a lot of great leaders of all time, but the greatest leader is God. His leadership among His people is a living proof that leadership is a wonderful thing in this world. By allowing God to lead me in my life, I became the better person that I can be. Perhaps, this is the kind of leadership we need nowadays, the one that can get the best out of people. So the next time we lead, we should keep that in mind.
A lot of leaders has come and go: Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar, Antonio Luna, etc. But it is the leading of someone, who preceded all things and never left, that I will strive to follow – Jesus Christ. I was never a good leader myself, but in my everyday life, I try my best to be one. I believe I am led by the love of the Lord and that leading other people is my service in love.
