Have you ever been in a room with a group of people when one
of them was “a leader?” I mean the High D, Type A personality kind of leader.
The take-charge person, the man or woman who projects confidence, works the
room, turns on the charm, captivates the imagination, and gathers the troops.
It probably sounds like I’m going to bash this sort of
person, and that’s not really my aim.
But since my intent is to “admire Christ,” what do you think Jesus would
be like in a group? I mean, would He be the “leader type” I just sketched?
Would Christ project confidence, work the room, turn on the
charm, captivate the imagination, and gather the troops?
Years ago I attended a seminar to help pastors learn from
business leaders. The speaker was the new CEO of a large company, and he was
exactly the sort of leader I’m talking about.
He was quite an impressive guy. Not much older that I was at
the time (early 30’s), he was tall, handsome, an up-and-coming star in the
business community. His suit probably cost more than I made in several months. He
had lots of productivity and leadership tips for us.
I was a young pastor planting a church, and I confess to
experiencing a bit of envy as I sat there, taking notes.
During a break I headed for the restroom. I noticed that our
speaker was also making a rest stop.
A couple minutes later, as I stood in
front of the mirror washing my hands, he emerged from one of the stalls. I
thought maybe I could engage him in conversation, or get his autograph, or at
least shake his hand.
He glanced at me, straightened his expensive tie, and walked
out of the restroom. Without washing his hands. You heard me. The great leader
helping us poor bumbling pastors improve our organizational skills used the potty
and didn’t wash up afterwards. I changed my mind on the hand shake idea.
I suppose that fact shouldn’t have undermined his
credibility to me. But it did somehow.
That was a lot of years ago. I’ve scaled back my
expectations of leaders since then. And I know I can learn from all sorts of
people, whether they wash their hands or not. Someone’s imperfections don’t
necessarily negate the lessons they have to teach us. Because ultimately all of
us fall short. All of us will disappoint, fail to meet expectations, and look
like hypocrites sometimes.
Except for Jesus. If you were in a seminar with Him, He
wouldn’t be trying to impress anyone. And if you followed Him around and
watched His every move, you’d be awestruck by His perfections - His
authenticity, wisdom, humor, integrity, intelligence, kindness, love, purity, tranquility,
and patience. You would conclude that He’s the best person you ever met. You
wouldn’t experience envy or skepticism. More likely, adoration. You’d never
want the day to end. You’d want to spend the rest of your life as close to Him
as you could possibly get.
