Proverbs 16:32 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; And he that governs his spirit is better than he that can conquer a city.
What do our emotions have in common with our leadership? Everything!! It determines the kind of leaders we will become. I believe it was once said by a famous adventurer concerning climbing Mt. Everest, “You can’t conquer a mountain. You conquer yourself, your fears, your doubts, and your own limitations.” There have been many mighty men throughout history who were unable to do this. They had great ambitions of grandeur and conquest, but lacked in their ability to conquer the greatest mountain of all; their own hearts. There is a difference between a benevolent king and a malevolent tyrant, both are conquerors, but only one conquers his heart, his emotions, and his spirit. Leadership is service we give, not a privilege that we get.
I have always said that we need to constantly examine our lives to see what race it is that we are running, and if the end goal is actually the one that we honestly hope to achieve. Do we want to accomplish great things or do we want to truly become great people? Can we have both? Of course we can. However, it is not necessarily true that one will automatic transpire along with the other. There could be a tremendous contrast between our personal accomplishments and our personal character. It takes great ability, patience, faith and determination to build a company, a family, or a nation. However, it takes great integrity to preserve its success and growth. Vision builds, but Values sustain. So let us build, so let us live, and so let us lead by the grace of God.
Pastor LaVaughn
