Tuesday 30 October 2012

The Best Part of Leadership

Last weekend I had the honour of leading a junior youth camp, and while I'd been a leader in a lot of areas, officially and unofficially, for a long time, this was a big change for me.

The camp was no different to any other, the kids were mostly normal, and the stuff that happened was fairly routine. But there was something really significant about what happened to me.

This was the first church camp where I understood my role as a prophet, so it was no surprise to me that I had a few messages to give to people, one thing I felt on my heart was this one girl that needed to shine her light more. Like she had so much wisdom and goodness in her but she was hiding it from the world. I went up to her during worship and someone was already praying for her. So I patiently waited my turn.

As soon as I got there, the first thing I heard come out of the mouth of the leader praying for her was something about shining light. That's an amazing feeling, when everything on your heart is instantly affirmed.

But the one that really made my day was this one girl I've known for quite a while, one of my best friend's sisters, in fact.

All I did was look at that girl and I knew, just knew instinctively that she had a God-given gift of leadership. I went up and started talking to her about it and the first thing she said to me was that someone had just prayed for her leadership.

Anything that affirms the Holy Spirit is just the best thing. But that wasn't what made my day. See, we kept talking about what she could do to lead, to practice her gift and use it for God's glory, and I suggested that she could join the kid's ministry.

Long story short, just before I went back to my tent for the night, I saw her talking to the Children's pastor about it.

That made my day. Actually making a noticeable difference in someone's life. So often we sew seeds in people's lives but never get to see the outcome of that. To actually see something bloom that you sewed is just so rewarding.

It only got better from there.

The next day I found myself in a situation where three of us leaders were praying for the grade six girls. Praying that they would receive the gift of speaking in tongues.

Now, normally I am one of the younger leaders, an apprentice, a novice, a trainee. But this camp changed that for me. In that moment, there were three leaders, all my age, all senior youth, praying for the junior youth kids.

And that was really significant for me. We really owned that moment. We weren't asked to do it by an adult, we didn't have someone more mature watching over our shoulders, it was all us. And to me, that was really special.

All camp I felt myself becoming more and more independent, more and more capable, more and more important. And it wasn't because those girls spoke in tongues for the first time, or because I had a prophecy for a bunch of kids, but because I led the camp. I mean, really led it.

I wasn't always following instructions, I wasn't always shadowing an older, more mature leader, or just doing the little odd jobs that just have to be done.

I feel like I really stepped up and made a significant difference on that camp, but also in my own life. I feel like I came out better because of it.

While we were packing up, the girl I was talking to about leadership asked me about my experience with the prophetic. We talked for quite a while about what it was like, what I had seen, and my best moments.

On the way home, the girl I had the prophecy for about shining her light asked me to sit next to her on the bus, and I got to talk to her more about what that meant.

And on that final night, when we were back at church, two of the girls that spoke in tongues sat next to me in the front row.

So I guess the best part of leadership is changing someone's life, but not someone that you spend a weekend with and never see again, and not someone that you've known your whole life and spend time with every day...

But someone random, a stranger, someone you never met before then, but plan on seeing a lot more of, as you continue to lead them into the future, and continue to change their life with every meeting.

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