My journey...
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Leading or Guiding
As a leader you have to be of a certain standard. You need to be always one step ahead of those you are leading otherwise those whom you are leading will not progress beyond you. Sounds of my past....
Lately also I have been wondering about the whole issue of mentoring and discipling. What really is our role as a leader? Is it to produce people after ourselves or people after the heart of God? So that we produce everyone who act or speak in the same manner? Think in the same way? Or is it to help people discover who they are in God? It says, Follow me as I follow Christ.
I have two words which came to me. Leading Vs Guiding.
Leading - we are ahead of those we are leading
Guiding - we are walking beside them. Hand in hand and at times we may not know who is leading
Leading - Teacher/ mentor to student relationship. I know better than you. Follow me.
Guiding - Friendship. We are equals. Walking together in this journey. I may have more knowledge but we are equals learning together.
Leading - we are producing clones after ourselves
Guiding - we are producing people after the heart of God
(God created each one of us as individuals. Certainly not everyone have the same gifting and calling. Not everyone need to speak the same or look the same... thank God )
Leading - we need to know where we are going and bring the people there
Guiding - may not know where we are going but we help the other person discover where God is leading. Together we walk the journey together
(As a leader we need not know everything)
Leading - Its structure and principles
Guiding - Its about the heart and values. It's a lot about helping the other person discover who they are in God and their destiny in God.
In guiding, we may not know who is guiding.But we know the God is the person whom we want to follow. His Kingdom is what we want to see here on earth. At times you may need the help of those you are discipling to bring you closer to God. At times they need your help.Weakness in "the leader"? Its ok. After all we are all walking in the same direction. Encouraging each other to grow in God.
Perhaps when it is said follow me as I follow Christ is to follow my heart after God. Imitate my passion and desire for Him. To see His kingdom come on earth.
This is still very much new to me. It is so much easier said than done. So much easier to tell people what to do than to see them stumble and fall. To try to help them pick up the pieces and make sense of it all. To help them discover who they are in Christ and to help them maybe walk a road that I myself may not have walked before simply because God may have a different calling or experience for them. This is when I appreciate the community. Together we encourage one another and it is not the responsibility of one to help one. Together we are on this journey to discovering God. Together we create an environment that allows "spiritual formation". That allows us to discover God for ourselves. To discover His will for our individual lives. Together we allow God room to cause growth in us. We have only one goal. To see His kingdom come and His will be done.
posted by Janelle at 1:39 AM
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