One day, they wanted to stone him.
Just two days later, he was their hero and they wanted to enrich him.
Ah, the fickle nature of David’s followers.
I Samuel 30 reminds me of what all of us in leadership positions encounter from time to time. Even if your leadership role is that of a parent or guardian or some other oversight role, you will still encounter the ups and downs of working with sometimes-unpredictable people.
I encourage you to click the link above in order to read the chapter since it would take too much space here to adequately explain the diverse story.
Simply stated, David was blamed for something that wasn’t his fault and he was praised for something that was actually God’s doing.
David knew that God was in control and that it was his job as leader to just keep his nose pointed in the right direction — the direction of faith.
Even in emotionally hostile moments when the unity of his troops was threatened, David stuck to the principle of fairness and fellowship and to what was in the long-term best interests of the group rather than the individual.
To David, “we” was more important than “me.”
This is what set David apart.
This is part of why he was such a good leader.
As a workplace manager or a sports team coach or a classroom teacher or an adoptive parent or a ministry team leader, make sure that others see your belief that “we” is more important than “me.”
Yes, those following you might still be upset with you sometimes through no fault of your own, but good leadership is not about doing what’s popular but instead about what’s proper.
If the crowd determines your path, is that really leadership?
Jesus went to the cross, in part, to cure me of “me” thinking.
Please join me in pursuing more “we” thinking.
We’ll both become better leaders at home, at work, at church or wherever else as we do.
As always, I love you
Martin
