Have you ever noticed that great leaders make everyone around them better? Take Scottie Pippen for example. Running up and down the court with Michael Jordan he was a 6 time NBA champion, without Jordan he was still a very good ball player, but never would have reached his potential. Great leaders inspire greatness in other people.
One time I was sitting around a table with a mentor of mine. He pastors a very large church and in my opinion is a great leader. I was timidly sharing the vision God had placed in my heart for South Bay Church. He looked right at me and said, "God placed that vision in your heart and he's given you all the gifts and talents necessary for it to come to pass. Start believing God by believing in who He's called you to be." I cannot tell you how much that one comment impacted me. I noticed something about this leader. Everyone on his team has an heir of confidence that God has placed a holy calling on their lives. He just oozes this and inspires it into other people. He helps others believe the truth about who God created them to be!
I know this can kind of sound like psycho babel, but isn't this what Jesus did? He took a group of blue collar fishermen and said, "I will turn you into fisher's of men." And He did just that. Those uneducated ordinary folk would go on to change Jerusalem and extend the gospel to the ends of the known world.
Here is what I am learning. Those leaders that have confidence in who God has created them to be, are much more adept to inspire greatness in others. The leaders who lack confidence in their calling and gifting will constantly put down others and try to always put that person back in their place. I've been around people like this. There is one person I shared my vision with and he in essence said, "you better be careful who you share this vision with because if it doesn't come to pass you are going to look very audacious." Wow! I'm so glad for my other mentor who gave me the other perspective! I want to be the kind of person who raises the water level and commitment to Christ whenever I enter a room. I want to make people better and call out what God has placed inside of them. Their dreams, their goals, their visions and their talents. A part of me living with greatness is helping others become great! As we inspire greatness in others they will in turn inspire greatness in us.
If you ever start to feel like you are the only one with good ideas or good plans you've missed this principle. If you look down on young leaders because God is using their lives and you are more mature and wise, you've obviously missed out on the way Jesus is establishing His kingdom. If people are afraid to share their ideas and thoughts because you will smash them with a hammer, umm... I don't think you've gotten this one. If you are the one always doing the talking... you still don't have it!
Let's be cheerleaders for those around us in ministry and inspire them to dream and believe God to build a mighty movement through their lives. Let's get some courage and some confidence in who God has created us to be and start inspiring greatness in one another. After all, if you are called by God and in a relationship with Him doesn't the scriptures say, "the same power that raised Christ from the dead is living inside of us through the Spirit of God." Is there anything greater than that? Umm, the answer is NO!
