A LEADER'S FRIENDSHIP TRINITY: CONSTITUENTS
Second in the "Friendship Trinity," you have CONSTITUENTS.
They are FOR WHAT YOU ARE FOR. And as long as you are "for what they are for," they will walk with you. They will stay in the ministry trenches with you.
Throughout life, if you are not careful...PARTICULARLY IF YOU ARE IN A BROKEN SEASON of your life...you will easily MISTAKE your CONSTITUENTS for your CONFIDANTS, and all too easily, they can BREAK YOUR HEART. Because though they told you that they were "in it for the long haul" with you, that's not reality. Their commitment was not to YOU, but to the CAUSE.
You see, your life will NOT be filled with CONFIDANTS. You have to be able to work with people who will COME AND GO. You have to LOVE THEM when they come and love them when they GO. Don't let your heart get BITTER over people when they go.
The Word of God says, "The Lord giveth...and the Lord taketh away...Blessed be the name of the Lord!" A leader has to LEARN HOW TO LOSE PEOPLE...HOW TO RELEASE PEOPLE...WITHOUT GETTING CYNICAL AND BITTER ON THE INSIDE. And that, my friend, is tougher than it sounds. But you'll never survive REAL LEADERSHIP unless you determine to be able to release people well, even when their actions make them undeserving of your kindness.
Again, I didn't blow the kiss to be crass. I desperately want you to understand that the ATTITUDE OF GREATNESS NECESSITATES that you be GREAT not only when they COME, but even greater when they GO. For your own emotional SURVIVALS' sake, you have to get good at letting people LEAVE.
Now before you get too judgmental about all the CONSTITUENTS in your life and ministry, I want to remind you that you, yourself, have been a CONSTITUENT to countless people in your own life. In truth, most of us secretly desire to have several CONFIDANTS when we, ourselves, have NOT been that to many other individuals first. The law of sowing and reaping is in effect here. You GET the kind of friendships in your life and on your team that you GIVE AWAY to others.
They are FOR WHAT YOU ARE FOR. And as long as you are "for what they are for," they will walk with you. They will stay in the ministry trenches with you.
Throughout life, if you are not careful...PARTICULARLY IF YOU ARE IN A BROKEN SEASON of your life...you will easily MISTAKE your CONSTITUENTS for your CONFIDANTS, and all too easily, they can BREAK YOUR HEART. Because though they told you that they were "in it for the long haul" with you, that's not reality. Their commitment was not to YOU, but to the CAUSE.
You see, your life will NOT be filled with CONFIDANTS. You have to be able to work with people who will COME AND GO. You have to LOVE THEM when they come and love them when they GO. Don't let your heart get BITTER over people when they go.
The Word of God says, "The Lord giveth...and the Lord taketh away...Blessed be the name of the Lord!" A leader has to LEARN HOW TO LOSE PEOPLE...HOW TO RELEASE PEOPLE...WITHOUT GETTING CYNICAL AND BITTER ON THE INSIDE. And that, my friend, is tougher than it sounds. But you'll never survive REAL LEADERSHIP unless you determine to be able to release people well, even when their actions make them undeserving of your kindness.
Again, I didn't blow the kiss to be crass. I desperately want you to understand that the ATTITUDE OF GREATNESS NECESSITATES that you be GREAT not only when they COME, but even greater when they GO. For your own emotional SURVIVALS' sake, you have to get good at letting people LEAVE.
Now before you get too judgmental about all the CONSTITUENTS in your life and ministry, I want to remind you that you, yourself, have been a CONSTITUENT to countless people in your own life. In truth, most of us secretly desire to have several CONFIDANTS when we, ourselves, have NOT been that to many other individuals first. The law of sowing and reaping is in effect here. You GET the kind of friendships in your life and on your team that you GIVE AWAY to others.
Posted in Relationships