Today in church, Reverend David Hartsfield’s message was on “The Wisdom of Foolishness”. The main idea of the message was that from the beginning of Christianity, those who followed the movement were viewed as foolish. One statement that he made really stuck with me. According to Reverend Hartsfield, “God will use the foolish to save the wise”.
To support his statement, Reverend Hartsfield demonstrated how those that God chose to undertake his most important work of spreading the gospel, freeing his people, or healing the sick were not always those with the best education, the best training, or even the best reputation. Examples he gave were John the Baptist, who by spending most of his life in the desert could be considered anti-social; Moses, who killed a man and was a fugitive on the run when called; and David, who was the smallest among those on the battlefield that could face Goliath.
As I listened to the sermon, I thought of other examples of unlikely leaders throughout history. Like those mentioned by Reverend Hartsfield, these individuals would not be the first chosen if someone came looking for a leader. These included Paul, who previously had been a persecutor of followers of God. Paul went on to become the founder of the Christian Church. Joan of Arc was just twelve when she joined the effort to liberate France from English occupation, but eventually won a decisive victory that freed Orleans and lead to the crowning of King Charles VII. Winston Churchill was born with a speech impediment, but his words of inspiration during the Battle of Britain helped English citizens to hold on in the face of continued bombardment by Nazi Germany. Audie Murphy, the son of a Texas sharecropper, lied about his age to join the army during World War II. Just nineteen when the war ended in 1945, Murphy had earned 39 medals for his efforts, including the Congressional Medal of Honor for single handily fending off a German attack and leading a counterattack that drove the enemy back in France.
While I would not consider my life experiences equal to the individuals listed above, I too have been an unlikely leader. Early in my career I accepted a job as an administrative assistant in a medical supply company. At the time I joined the company, a new manager had just been hired to turn around my branch office. In spite of his best efforts branch sales continued to suffer.
A couple of months after joining the firm, the manager started looking to staff members for assistance. In spite of having no formal business or management training, I stepped up to the plate. I created a marketing plan, developed marketing brochures, and made sales calls. Working closely with other staff, I helped with improving customer service and getting a better handle on our inventory to control costs. When I left the company a year later, we were the second most profitable branch.
Now don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that I alone turned this branch around. That is not possible. It takes team effort to pull off that feat. What I am saying, however, is that for a team (whether it is a group of missionaries, an army, or an entire nation) to be successful, it must have a leader with the energy, determination, and vision to see the effort through to the end. This leader must also have the ability to articulate that vision and inspire the best in others. Many times, that leader is the most unlikely of individuals. Just something to remember the next time an opportunity to step up and lead presents itself.