Called To Greatness

People in charge are normally easy to spot. In churches for example, they are the ones most often standing behind the pulpit or lectern.  In companies they probably have the biggest office. In non-profits they often chair the most important committees. And in government, they are the faces we see most in the news.

They are well spoken, often quite charismatic, well organized and while found at the top of the ladder, a good leader has the pulse of the entire organization.

What happens though, when a good leader, a leader who fits the mold of what we expect a leader to be, can no longer fulfill his or her duties? What happens to the organization they manage or the church they oversee? Or what becomes of the leader who is taken from their position and unable to use their gifts?

A year ago, if you had asked if I thought of myself as a leader in my church and community, I would have said yes… or at least, that I wanted to be. I was very involved in my church and serving on staff as the Spiritual Growth Coordinator. I was preaching on occasion, helping with the youth group, leading a meditation group, and involved in Bible study.

In the community, I was working as a librarian and running programs for kids and adults, making classroom visits and getting involved in after school programs. I was starting to get involved in food accessibility work and other social issues close to my heart. I was excited to see what my future would be like in the community and church where I felt I had been called.

One day however, in early January all that changed. A quick visit to the doctor’s office to check on a sore throat, turned into a rush to the University of Iowa Hospitals to save my life from the final stages of leukemia.

I was trapped in the hospital for months undergoing treatment after treatment as my health continued to fail and my hope of recovery dwindled. When people asked me about myself, my responses were always something like, “well, I was a pastor until I got sick,” or “I worked as a librarian until I got cancer,” or even “I was very worried about the kids of my community having access to adequate food, but now I can’t do anything about that.”

My whole life, my passions, my hopes, my drive, had all become past tense. Without my leadership positions, without my direct involvement in my community and church, without my vision of what I thought my role in the world should look like, I felt there was nothing to do but waste my days watching videos on the internet and taking long naps.

Yet what I thought being a leader looked like is a far cry from what Jesus considered leadership.

In Matthew 20:25-28 Jesus says: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must become like a slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

This upside-down world of leadership is a powerful thing to consider. While I was the one behind the pulpit, was I really more of a leader than the woman sitting in a wheelchair who prays for our church every day? I may have been the one sitting in meetings trying to get food accessibility issues addressed at a community level… but did that make me greater than the lunch lady who always gives that one child an extra helping because she knows dinner will be scarce? Sure, I lead the youth group, but was I giving more than those who paid for and prepared food for the kids before they arrived?

This shift away from my narrow view of what a leader looks like did two things. First, it helped me see the value and dignity of all work. The Principal of a school or the President of a company is important, but without the night janitor, things will fall apart quickly. A church needs its Pastor but go a few weeks without someone making the coffee before worship and you will see just how irrelevant the Pastor can become!

The second thing this shift in thought did was create a space where no matter who I am, or what had happened to me, I could still have an important and vital role in life. While I can no longer preach on a Sunday morning, I can write on my blog and share my thoughts with those who want to read them. I cannot lead a youth group now, but I can pray for those kids and offer counseling and love when it is sought. I cannot be “boots-on-the-ground,” demanding changes to protect the vulnerable, but I can write letters, make phone calls and be encouraging to those who are doing the hands-on part of the job.

While it isn’t normally difficult to spot the person in charge, leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about answering the call to perform the task before you.

Christ has called all of us to greatness, because we all have been called to service. As leaders, we should not lord our position over anyone. Instead, we should follow the teachings of Jesus and serve in the positions to which God calls us. You may be called to preach to thousands or make macaroni and cheese for twelve. No matter what the call, it has been given to you.

Answer it.