Missional FriendshipSample

Day 1 - The Problem with and of Leadership - Loneliness and Isolation

Leadership is influence. With this simple definition, it would be reasonable to say that everyone has some type of leadership impact. Because we all influence others in some way or another.

But when we talk about leaders, we generally mean people who have a broader scope of leadership. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, gave us a way to think about this when he instructed Moses to find leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Leaders influence others, and there are different levels of leadership.

Think about those levels of leadership as rungs on a ladder. It is wide at the bottom and gets increasingly narrow at the top. There are a lot more leaders of tens than there are leaders of thousands. It isn’t an issue of value or worth. It is about scope.

There are a few things that happen as a leader grows in the scope of their influence. First, there is a greater weight of responsibility. Decisions that are made have greater consequences and affect a greater number of people. Second, as you step up to a higher rung, things get more complex. It is harder to understand all of the dynamics of what you face as a leader. Third, there are fewer leaders who know your world and can speak into it.

One of the very real and practical things this creates is the problem with and of leadership: loneliness and isolation.

“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours…” (James 5:17 ESV). In James, he is the example of faith - leaders can be great people of faith doing extraordinary things!

But in 1 Kings 19, we see the other side -- loneliness and isolation that undermine faith, confidence, and hope.

If you are a leader, you are in danger, make no mistake. Loneliness and isolation take leaders out more than anything else. In fact, you might even say that all the other things are simply symptoms of a source that is loneliness and isolation. But there is a place of refuge and a people of protection. That is what this devotional is about - finding the place and people that have your back and ensuring that you have their back.

Questions to Consider:

• When did you last intentionally meet with others who fully know you and still fully love you?
• When did you last feel like Elijah -- you’re “the only one left”? What got you to that place?

Action to Take:

• Reach out to a friend and tell them how you appreciate their friendship.

Prayer to Make:

Ask God to reveal to you where you are vulnerable to attack. Invite Jesus into that place. Pray for a leader that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind to be connected in community.