I was struck by a comment made by a popular parenting expert named Dr. Becky Kennedy when she was being interviewed on the Tim Ferriss podcast.
She said,
‘“Parenting doesn’t come naturally. The only thing that comes naturally is how you were parented,” or, “We were never meant to parent on instinct alone.”’ (Link)
With a slight tweak, it is also a powerful church leadership quote:
“Church leadership doesn’t come naturally. The only thing that comes naturally is how you have been led in church. We were never meant to lead on instinct alone.”
But what about this famous quote, which some attribute to President Lee and others to President Monson?
“Whom the Lord Calls, He Qualifies.”
Like many quotes, giving more meaning than was intended is natural.
It’s easy to interpret this quote as saying,
Whom the Lord Calls…
…He magically makes them an all-knowing leader.
…He endows them with the power to make all the right decisions.
…He makes them an expert influencer of organizational culture.
…He takes away the need for any other leadership resource or understanding.
These interpretations aren’t fair to church leaders, especially lay church leaders.
You were never meant to lead on instinct alone.
You were never meant to lead on inspiration alone.
You were never meant to lead on handbook references alone.
Let me be clear: I do believe in that famous prophetic quote.
There is power in being set apart (sometimes ordained) with priesthood power (yes, even you sisters).
There is power in the office and capacity.
I’ve experienced it myself.
My worry is there are many leaders in quiet desperation because they assume that leadership capacity would fill their being like some type of Marvel Comics story.
Now, in a calling of leadership, they assume something is wrong with them because leadership isn’t coming as easy or that other leaders before them made it look easy.
Yes, the Lord called you.
Now get to work in order to enable Him to qualify you.
Pick up a book.
Binge on a leadership podcast.
Become a studio of personal leadership development.
See what others are saying about this message. There are already 25+ comments about it HERE.
Sincerely,
Kurt Francom
Executive Director
Leading Saints
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