Most folks know that Nehemiah is a good book on leadership. Nehemiah prays before he takes a step. He follows God fearlessly. He doesn't give the haters a moment's care and just keeps his mind fixed on what God wants him to do. And that's something all of us should aspire to, because we're all leaders, whether we hold an official office or we're leading by example for children at home. But another thing? Nehemiah knew whose talent to tap into as a leader, and he sought out those individual gifts and talents to make sure the wall they were building would be done, and done right. He gave responsibility to people who were most affected by the wall (families took care of sections of the wall that they lived closest to) and when he first began the project, Nehemiah made sure only a select few people found out about what he was working on until it was time to get rolling.
Isn't that what Paul talks about much, much later in Corinthians, when he explains that we are all part of the one body of Christ even though we serve in different capacities?
"Now if the foot should say, 'because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, 'because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the boy,' it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!' On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our persentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." (I Cor. 12:15-26, NIV, emphasis mine)
I've seen eyes and ears held at arm's length, and I've seen what happens when a body works together despite differences and runs the race God has set before us, together. It's a powerful thing. Nehemiah experienced that success when he and his crew took on and accomplished an enormous project in just fifty-two days (and this was before power tools and machinery, my dudes). And he experienced that success because 1) he put the whole project in God's hands and followed Him even when the odds seemed insurmountable and 2) he put others to work in the areas that best complemented their own skills, talents, and best interests, which motivated them to all work together as one, trading off duties and helping each other and getting 'er done.
It's a great privilege to serve in any capacity on a faith-based board, group, community, etc. but sometimes we get to be too prideful. You were called, not So-and-So. But our success is only complete when we rely on the Lord for guidance and only, only when we invite others to join us in that success. It's lifting up the hurting, and rejoicing with those who are honored even if we're hurting right now. It's lifting one another up, holding each other accountable according to the Bible, and it's striving to make sure everybody in the body of Christ has opportunity to join in according to Biblical guidance and the talents the Lord has uniquely given.
Never forget that you aren't the successful one. It's the Lord who gave you the talents, you only used it in service to the King. With a mindset like this, it's easy to cheer on others and walk alongside them instead of competing to be best...because we already serve the One who's Best.
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