I found that during my daily reading Proverbs 18 that a handful of verses kept resounding and ministering to my heart. What God kept showing me was the danger in isolating yourself. A lot of times I have taken this thought in the context of how the devil wants to divide us and get us into the "woe is me" mode where we cut off communications and sit around and let ourselves get bombarded with thoughts of self defeat. As I read I was realizing this goes much deeper and affects so many other areas of our life and in particular areas of leadership.
Verses 1 and 2 states "one who isolates himself pursues selfish desires, he rebels against all sound judgment. A fool does not delight in understanding but only wants to show off his opinions." I have encountered many leaders in my life time and the ones that have impressed me the most are the ones that looks to others and actually surround themselves with people of knowledge to take in their wisdom to help accomplish the goal set before them. I have seen this with political leaders, business leaders, and Church leadership. They do what they can to tap into the talent around them and help those individuals grow in their talent in the process. Unfortunately there are a lot leaders who take the isolation route in the sense that they cut off those around them to say "it's my way or the highway." They have no desire to gain greater understanding from those around them and instead want to show their power in order to establish and promote themselves as a leader. Verse 2 calls this mentality the mentality of a fool. It is understandable that there is going to be a vulnerability when you decide to bring on the input of others and sometimes there will be disagreements amongst the people. Ultimately it will come down to the final call of the leader. A good leader will truly weigh out that input that was given and if handled correctly it will show the value of the person's input in the process. This will hopefully help get everyone on board no matter what the final decision is.
Another form of isolation that I have seen with leaders has been in the form of isolating others for their own gain. Verse 5 talks about partiality and how what is just and right ends up being perverted... how? Well as we read on in verse 6 it talks about the lips of this individual stirring up strife and ultimately provoking a beating of that individual. Verse 8 tells us that those words are like choice food that goes straight to the heart of an individual. What needs to be realized that that those words that are being spoken are only going to bring about their own devastation (Verse 7) and ultimately create a trap for their own life.
Ultimately both forms of isolation here is rooted in the first sin, which is the sin of Pride (thank you Pastor Dave for that one!). This pride brings about the man's downfall as stated in verse 12. Verse 12 also tells us honor comes from humility. What greater humility is there than to admit "I may not know everything regarding this matter so I should consult some experts about it." Then we can take this one step further to actually listen to the advice and weigh it all out before giving an answer. If we don't verse 13 reminds us that this is foolishness and will bring disgrace.
I would hope that as leaders we would want our actions and choices to be discerning and based on wisdom. Verse 15 tells us that we are to acquire knowledge and seek to hear wisdom as we seek for it. So it is not a passive thing but an active thing to go after the input of others and really hear things out. We may even go into this thinking that we have the right answer only to find out how far off we might have been. Verse 17 tells us to cross-examine the case to be sure that we are right!
As I come to the end of Chapter 18 I find it interesting that in the midst of all of this that verse 22 tells us that "a man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord." It is a very powerful thing to have the input and cross-examination that a spouse brings to the table. The even greater power is when the two come to the final decision and are in agreement together!
I don't want this to turn into a gossip session but I am curious... what about you? Have you seen this one in your life? Was it you or someone else leading? What kind of impact did it have? What was the final resolve?
This definitely helped me... maybe it will help you!
Blessings and Love!
DD
2 comments:
Isolation is devasting! It has always been the work of the enemy to attack those who are isolated. This was the tactic of the Amelekites as Israel left Egypt. They attacked those who lagged behind, because they knew if they attacked the entire group they would lose. There is such strength in fellowship and protection. I am so thankful for the church and all that it provides.
Good point about the Amelekites Pastor Dave. I agree fully about what the church provides to combat this isolation. Let me say "kudos" to you for being a leader that does not isolate himself. A notable quality that has been a blessing to my life... Thank you!
Post a Comment