Recently, a book titled Principle Centered Leadership caught my eye when I visited my Mom. Stephen R Covey captured my attention quickly in the first chapter and very soon I came across a line he used that almost jumped right out of the page and was highlighted in my thoughts ever since.
“The challenge”, he said, “is to be a light, not a judge and to be a model, not a critic.”
To be… a light… and a model…
Not to be… a judge… and a critic…
I think Jesus would like this quote. When I answered yes to His invitation for me to follow Him, I am sure that this was also one of the challenges He wanted me to understand.
Interesting, isn’t it? How God used this quote from a secular book that I randomly picked from a shelve, to remind me in such a crystal clear way of what it is He is expecting of me. To bring me back to what it all really is about. To show me truth about His way. To challenge me to be… what he called me to be.
I shared this quote with a number of friends as well as with my Mom. It was this quote that encouraged me to read further into Covey’s book, but also to continue digging deeper into Biblical leadership principles and
examples. And to seek God’s face and guidance increasingly more and more as I try to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
One evening my mom mentioned something that led me to different dimensions of thinking about this. She dropped a question about how to distinguish a light from a judge and a model from a critic. This was interesting because it made me realize that sometimes a person’s intention is to bring light, yet it is perceived to be judging. Or someone tries to model or guide but is perceived to be criticizing and finding fault. And then of course there are often wolves dressed up as lambs in our lives – we get the impression that someone is bringing light or modeling life but we eventually realize that it was a lie and we are misled.
And this made me think about the way people experience me. Is my light pure and bright enough, embedded in God’s grace, that it will not be seen as being judgmental? Is my lifestyle a
testimony of freedom, integrity, fruit of the Spirit and Christ-like character? So much so that I will be seen as a model or an example to follow rather than a critic of life and others?
I believe this is one of the principles God has called me to in being His disciple and I pray for His Spirit to guide me and teach me in this every day.
Love
Sulene
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