Theology of Credible Leadership - Lesson 22

Dr. John Johnson
Theology of Credible Leadership
How Can Leaders Face Crucibles?
Lesson Transcription

Let me come back here to just, I think I got this a little bit clearer for you. Two challenges in suffering. I've been working through the question, why, starting with common assumptions, things we see in life and our own personal experiences. We read in leadership books, leaders are on stage, et cetera, explains why we face these challenges. Then we shifted to look from a theological angle.   

What does theology tell us? Theology tells us that a lot of our challenges come because, well, we are flawed, fallen people. And in our own dysfunctions, we bring a lot of challenges to ourselves. And the people we lead have their own sinful dysfunctions that can create sometimes toxic environments. Theology tells us also that we face challenges and a certain degree of suffering because we're in a war, a war that is often on scene.   

And so we find ourself in places in our leadership with things we can't see, but we know, we sense there's a darkness behind them, something demonic behind them. Every leader faces that, whether they, whether they realize it or not. And then there are these divine purposes. Theology tells us that sometimes we suffer, we for reasons that maybe we will never be able to explain in our lifetime, but we'll understand on the other side, or maybe we'll be able to understand.   

At a later time, when I was pastoring in the Netherlands, I faced a really dark, dark time with some of the people I was seeking to lead, who seemingly it just seemed, it was their intent to make my life as difficult as they could.   

And I didn't understand it. I loved them. I wanted to work with them. I never intended to be a threat to them, but nonetheless, I was. And I often found myself walking in the dunes, which is, we lived at the edge of the North Sea, and I would take these long walks and I would find myself saying, God, I don't understand. I don't understand why this is so blooming hard to lead.   

But looking back now in terms of divine purposes, I can see thatI grew in ways I would've never grown. So these are some of the reasons why. Now we've been moving to talk about what, what are some of those specific, challenges we face? And we've looked at the fact that they can be, they can be criticism. That can be very deep.   

It can be, setbacks, can be misunderstandings, can be alienation, it can be loneliness. Where we left off, let me mention a couple of others. Sometimes when we ask the, and answer the question, what, what are these challenges? Some of these challenges will simply be personal failure, because again, leaders will make mistakes. They, there are bound to be misjudgments.   

Given our sinfulness are flawed, or our, our finiteness, there are things we just can't see. There will be misunderstandings, misperceptions. We will sometimes initiate too soon or respond too late. We will overlook rather than confront, performance issues. And that can lead to a certain personal failure.   

We will become transparent enough to share our struggles only to wish we didn't. We will, at times, overreach and undersell, and this will be viewed, as failure. So part of it is just that we are not perfect. There will be, and this is another I've mentioned somewhat, but, but in terms of what are they, what are they?   

Sometimes they're adversaries. No matter how well liked leaders will face difficult people. It might be jealousy, it might be poor chemistry. It might be simply dislike. There will be the mordecai's facing the Hammonds. There will be the Jacobs facing the Esau.   

There will just be very, very difficult people in our lives. There will be bullies who will seek to intimidate. There will be manipulators who will seek to control. There will be derailers who seek to get us off course. Most painful are the enemies that you didn't expect, the friends who were so close, but they have turned on you. We see in the Psalms at times. David writes about those who once were, those he journeyed with, who now have turned on him.   

They once stood by you. They once cheered you, but it turns out they have their own agendas. I, at times, in seminary and working with students, would tell them, beware of your cheerleaders. That is beware of the people who did everything to help you become, their next leader. Sometimes they are your cheerleaders and they were with you through the journey, but sometimes they're the first ones to turn on you.   

They had their own ideas. They brought you because they felt that through you, they could execute their will, and then they discover that they can't. Sometimes it's just simply loss. So what do these look like? Sometimes it's just the pain of loss for all of the gains of leadership.   

There are, there are inevitable losses. There's the loss of growth, loss of income, loss of people, loss of people. You know, one of the great pains, especially when I think of pastoral leadership, are the people that you've invested so much of your time in. People who had their own very difficult journeys.   

People who become very dependent upon you, and you pour yourself in and they can't seem to get enough. But over time, if you're not careful, there begins to be this, this growing gulf. They feel more and more exposed and vulnerable. And then they, they leave. And you're asking yourself, I poured so much of myself into them and they're gone. And that can be a painful crucible.   

There can be the loss of the loss of momentum, the loss of morale. There can be self-doubt and criticism that creeps in. There can be in terms of loss, the loss of confidence. One of the more painful losses is the realization that one is beginning to face a loss of health, a loss of energy, an inevitable personal decline. There's a loss of energy, a creeping malaise that sets in.   

So these are some of the whats, when we think about what crucibles will we face, alienation, there is again, criticism, loneliness, failure, adversaries loss. What I want to new move into now is to talk about how that is answer this question. How can leaders face their crucibles?   

So talking about challenges, suffering, seeking to answer the question, why, why, why do we go through this as leaders or these common assumptions? There's this theological teaching. We move to this question of what? So what are they? And I'm sharing some of these, a lot of them outta my own personal experience to prepare you in case you're not prepared for some of these things that you're going to face, some that will blindside you.   

But I want to move now to a really important question of how, How do we deal with these crucibles that we're going to face? And it's a question, that's important here. For many, leaders are not quite sure how to deal with them, but it's important we understand how to deal with them if we're going to have any degree of success.   

Now, let's talk, for a moment here, in terms of the how. Again, let's go back to common assumptions. That is, when we look at leadership books and we, and, and, and not all, but some deal with the real challenges the crucibles leaders face.   

How does a leader overcome or at least get through them? So when I look at leadership books, here's some of their advice. A lot of times it comes back to finding your inner strength. That if you're going to make it through, you have to go look deep within your soul yourself to find your, as some put it, this inner resilience hardships force us to go deep where we find these strengths we never knew were there to get us through.   

As we go deeper and deeper, we discover this true north, we learned that a key prediction of true leadership is one's ability to find meaning from these setbacks and learn from them. So it starts with find yourself, know yourself. Here's the second, advice that's often given, and that is you've got to be tenacious. So we have books about grit and the importance of being gritty to tenacious determine, to make, do with what is at hand, to have a ferocious resolve, to stay the course when you believe it's the right one to have the courage to succeed, to stay cool under fire.   

There's nothing wrong at all about any of these. They, they are helpful in terms of tenacity. We have to be tenacious.   

A third one is you just have to exercise really, really good wisdom. Crucibles, demand sound judgment to know when to stay the course, to know when to stop, to know when to go. That required the discernment to know when a sit back setback is a signal not to stay the course, but the moment to reorganize, to recalibrate, to modify, to revise, to adapt and adjusting is crucial.   

As Warren Bennis put it, adaptive capacity is the essential component of a leader. Some of these books would say it's important to learn humility, which all of us would agree with. Crucibles can force us to come to the end of ourselves. And sometimes we need to come to the end of ourselves, acknowledge that I can't do this.   

We need to sometimes admit that our own thinking is flawed. Our own plants are defective, and have the humbleness to admit to that, the humbleness to learn, the humbleness, to relearn, to assess, who am I? Who could I be? What should I be? What should I do? Trials have a way of ridding one of superficiality.   

They have a way of forging a leader's life. These are some common assumptions. But again, let's go back to theology. Now, when I read these books and I read these theologies, when I open the word of God, I look at the scriptures.   

I realize there's obviously some overlap here, and certainly some agreement, but some things are not necessarily the same. Because when we look at the, the word of God, when we begin to think theologically about crucibles and hardships and suffering, how do we do? How do we get through this? At the beginning, God would say, seek my strength.   

No matter how severe God's power is more than adequate to handle our challenges. Finding one's inner strength sounds good, and there's a certain amount of wisdom in it. We do find ourselves at times going down deep and reaching maybe deeper for what's there that we need to tap into. But it only goes so far. We have no true north as we've talked about.   

We do come to a certain dead end in our life. Proverbs three, five and six, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding in all your ways. Yaah know God and he'll make your path straight. So seek the strength of God. Find his power in prayer can change his circumstance.   

Prayer has a way of removing the injustices. Prayer has a way of giving us the courage that we could never find on our own, to stare down the sandals and the Tobias to give us the fortitude to meet the goliaths, if you will, to enable us to say to the flesh, no. And to say to the world, no. So theology would say in terms of how you deal with crucibles, you need to seek the strength of God.   

You're not going to find that in leadership books per se. But theology scriptures, all we read from God tells us when we go through difficult times, we have to turn to him. We have to hold onto faith. 'cause behind our di difficulties, God is often doing some of his best work. And as I look back on some of my, my very, very painful moments in ministry, this was where God did some of his very best work in my life.   

This is why I come to passage just like Romans five, three, and four, and realize that in challenges, God is, God is developing character, or why James says to count it all joy, which sometimes feels so bizarre. But in all of this, God is doing something amazing. And it goes back to faith.   

It is in these crucibles. We find at times this extraordinary fellowship with God. We look back and we realize in this painful moment, we found this unusual relationship with God. That came because of the moment. I have no, I have no desire to go through some of the pain. As I think about Holland that I went through.   

I would not like to relive that. But I must also add that in those long walks in the dunes, I experienced this extraordinary fellowship that I came, I believe came because I was in the fire that prepared me again, to be a greater leader. Afflictions have a way of opening our eyes to things we would otherwise miss in ourselves.   

Maybe there is, maybe there was this growing autocratic spirit, an assumption that we are irreplaceable. I remember an elder chair, one of the most difficult men in my life. He marched up the stairs to my office one day, middle of the week. And he said, you're the most autocratic man I've ever known.   

And, and I think most people who know me would think that that's quite describe you. But nonetheless, in the pain of that moment, I did have to stop and ask the question. As all leaders must ask, you know, what, what truth is there behind this that I need to own up to? Why would he say that? What is it I have done to somehow suggest to him that's who I am? Maybe there is sometimes a, a way we carry ourselves that says we're indispensable, irreplaceable difficulties can change, a spirit of aloofness to one of greater compassion and greater empathy.   

And some of the very hard, hard moments of ministry. I know they've softened me. They've taken away some of the hardness and shaped me to be more sensitive to people going through their own crucibles, their own pain.   

I find looking back that they have enlarged my faith. They've taught me to wait and to trust. And God is doing something that in the end is ultimately good. As Romans 8 28 puts it, there's also this realization we must never forget that comforts us. God is never unaware. He's never caught unawares by our pain.   

He's right in the center of it. And he's doing something that maybe might be as Genesis 50 verse 20 puts. It was intended for harm, but God has intended it for good. So in sum to this question of how we theology would tell us to, to rely on God, trusting God, realize God is using them to do something that otherwise wouldn't happen.   

Barron Frederick von Hugo, there's a name, Barron Fredrick Von Hugo. I got that name reading. Eugene Peterson, who writes this book, Practicing Resurrection, Peterson, notes that in his journey of life and all of its challenges, von Hugo was perhaps his most formative guide.   

And in the describing of this he reflects on one of Von Hugo's letters, a letter that he, in this letter recalls advice that was given to him. And it's worth reading. It goes like this. You want to grow in virtue. You want to serve God, you want to love Christ well, you will grow and you will attain these things if you will.   

Make them a slow. And sure and utterly real mountain step plot and ascent, willing to have to camp for weeks or months in spiritual, desolation, darkness, and emptiness at different stages in your march and growth, all demand for constant light. All attempts at eliminating or minimizing the cross in trials is so much soft folly and infantile.   

Trifling. What I hear him saying is this, you want to be a leader. You want to be a strong, godly leader that's going to bring change. We'll be ready to make an ascent that's long and plotting with these, with these encampments as he talks about them, where you can't go any further.   

And these desolate moments in this darkness and emptiness that come at different stages. In the march, when my wife and I went to Malaysia a number of years ago, I wanted to climb Mount Kenna Ballou, it's the highest mountain and, and in south Southeast Asia. And we did. And it was one of the most exhausting climbs I've ever made. And I remember seeking to make the ascent after we had stayed in an encampment.   

The rains came, that came with such a fury that we had to turn back, come back to the encampment, and we waited and waited. And I, I decided nonetheless, I found a guide. And I said, will you still take me? And he and he did. And the higher we got, the thinner the air got. It was like this just as Von Hugo's statement here.   

It was a mountain step plot, one step, one step, breathe in the oxygen in the air, another step. It got so thin that I had to stop at each moment just to recover and get the air to get there. Eventually we made it to the top and it was a glorious moment. And I think sometimes when it comes to leadership and suffering and challenges, there will be times like that.   

It will feel like in this ascent to do this work, it is hard plodding. And there will be these desolate encampments of waiting for the storm to pass and then the tenacity and determination to move ahead. But, but what theology, of course, tells us is you'd be a fool to try to do it in your own strength, will never be able to do it without God.