Lead by Following
Allow me to share with you all that I am excited for at the moment.
I am so excited for Easter Break, as it is not only a break before finals, but a time to visit my wonderful boyfriend’s family in San Diego. I am excited to finally turn in my final papers and complete my exams so that I can kick off months of homework-free time. I can’t wait to go the UK for three weeks with my ISP team to love on people there, and then come back to the states to debrief for a bit before diving into FOCUS training. After this, I get to move in with one of my best friends to our adorable new place in the Village to start off what will be my SENIOR YEAR – WHAT?!
So I guess you can say I have a lot to look forward to. That is a fair assumption.
In the midst of this, I find that there is still so much that I want to cram into each and every moment. Time is moving fast and I want to live fully through all that is happening. I want to show my friends and classmates the insane love I feel from the Creator every day, and I want to keep soaking in all that I can from each of my classes even though they are ending.
As I’ve been going through FOCUS training with my fellow leaders, I have been overwhelmed by the powerhouse community this program provides. Each and every person in the program has the support of everyone else, and we all have an apparent desire to grow closer to God and each other, and to make disciples. As we’ve been gathering to discuss the upcoming Fall semester, we have all have expressed a desire to be the best leaders we can be and make the most of our time with the FOCUS program. We have placed emphasis on fully learning one simple thing, and this is the center of our concern at the moment.
We need to perfect our identity as followers.
As leaders at CBU, our goal is to magnify the One we follow in all that we do. Our leader is Jesus, and we emulate his perfect example of leadership. As He was making disciples, He did not boast of His greatness and demand respect (though this is rightly deserved). He served people in love. He put himself last to make his Father’s glory known to those He served. He made it clear, and we see this throughout the accounts of His life, that in order to lead others, we have to follow the guidance of the Creator and serve, counting others as sacred beings and caring for their needs before our own. When we, as student leaders, imitate Jesus and follow Him with all that we have, the Father’s name will be honored and we will set a standard for others to follow, not because of our own skills but because of the One who empowers us to do his work.
This concept is one to take and digest over the course of the next few weeks. Yes, finals are upon us. Yes, ISP fundraisers are in full swing along with the countless other obligations take up our attention. As worshippers of Christ, we need to remember our identity as followers in all of this. We can only set an example for others to follow if we are following the example of one much greater than we can ever be.
Friends, I’ll leave you with that. Thanks for sticking with me this year! Fare well in your finals, drink your tea, and keep your chin up – we’re nearly there!
0 Comments