2. In the Carver's Hands

Leadership does not make a person any better.  It means that they are putting themselves into a position that allows God to use them to mold others.  It reminds me of a wood carver.  God is the wood carver, who has the vision, the goal, and the purpose for each one-of-a-kind creation.  The stump represents each of us, just a huge block, absolutely nothing until our creator starts working on us.  God uses chisels, like people in leadership, whom he has appointed to slowly work on and influence the stumps.  Although the chisels themselves are not doing anything, they are being used at the creator's will.  The chisels alone cannot do anything, but when put into the creator's hands, they are a very useful tool.  If the chisel were to try to do its own thing in the hands of the creator, the vision of the carver and the chisel would clash and it would be a mess.  I think this is a beautiful, yet humbling metaphor for leadership.

I agree more with the more contemporary ideas of shared leadership.  I believe that every one has some form of leadership qualities, whether they're obvious or subtle.  Some people can simply lead by quiet example.  Everyone has unique qualities that are useful in different situations.  No one is good in every situation.  When a team of people get together and just be themselves, each person has something to offer and together they form a successful leadership group.  Some people can even lead as followers--by being hardworking and being able to follow through to get tasks done.

In high school I was a part of a dance competition team.  We worked together and had a system to our practices.  We had specific practice days and times, and there was order to the routines we worked on.  In order to be a successful team we had to have order.  However, flexibility took a huge role in our team, because things never went as planned.  We had to be able to adapt to new situations and places when we went somewhere to compete.  Also, we had to be able to re-block dances if a girl was sick or injured.  Injuries caused the entire dance dynamic to change, and we all had to be able to be calm and positive when things occurred that were beyond our control.

1. Leadership

 You can't give away something you haven't got, so you'd better get busy. - from the book, A Piece of Cake, by Cupcake Brown

Leadership is more than having authority over someone or teaching someone. Leadership is the perfect balance of servanthood and positive influence.  For me, being a leader has been something God has been specifically impressing on me.  Last year, around this time, being a leader was the furthest thing from my mind.  I saw myself as the one who needed to be led, not the one who ever could lead.  Slowly, God began to challenge me to lead.  At first it meant leading in my every day life as it was--in my classes, in my family, in my suite, on my floor, and with my friends.  He didn't even ask much of me, only to step up, start the motion, speak out, etc.  God was showing me how important it was to lead, even if I didn't consider myself the "leader type."  I realized that simply by being a Christian, I was called to be a leader in this lost world.  Christians should have higher standards on themselves and should live in a way that shows the world we're different.  After all, we must model ourselves after Jesus, who was a great leader.  However, God soon gave me a greater task and laid it on my heart to be a Discipleship Leader.  It was something I had thought about, but quickly dismissed because I wasn't a "leader."  However, God had a different plan, and I'm very glad I was obedient and followed through.  God had built me up to teach me what it means to be a true leader.  It wasn't about the position or the name or the authority, it was about the purpose.  I am privileged to have been called to this position, and I'm so thankful for the work God has done in me and through me.


The summer leading into this school year was a time of preparation and growth.  The quote I put at the beginning of this blog was something I focused much of my time on .  To me it means that as much as you might like to help someone, you won't do any good if you don't equip yourself beforehand.  In order to pour out over someone, you first must be filled and continually be being filled.  Another aspect of leadership that I would like to grow in this year is to lead by love.  A great quote that applies is, "Love people more than you need people."  If we as leaders love the people we lead, and I mean truly love, we won't expect to get anything from it.  If we go into any relationship with only the expectations of what we'd like to get out of it, we will always be disappointed.  Love needs to be the bond.  By allowing ourselves to love first, we can lead in a way that benefits everyone and has an incredible ability to transform.


I have already grown so much in this experience, and it is only just the beginning.  I would like to see myself strengthened in the areas I have been working on, as well as being challenged in new ways.  I want to be open to God's call over my life and to follow wherever He leads me.  In order to lead, I must first follow.  In order to teach, I must first learn.  In order to change, I must be transformed.