Leading with Repentance
This post can also be found on http://journeyon.net
I left a meeting the other day when I received a call from one of our elders who had been in it. He began to tell me how after leaving, something had been nagging him. After praying, he realized he'd sinned against me. He apologized, explaining that he'd undermined me unintentionally. I forgave him and told him it hadn’t bothered me at all.
The conversation continued, but I was thinking about the lesson I was learning from my brother on the phone:
- He knew the prompting of the Holy Spirit
- He wasn't too busy to pray for God's direction
- He submitted to that direction, repenting of his sin
- He sought unity through forgiveness
I thought about what the opposite looks like in my own behavior: I often leave meetings with a nagging feeling, too. I may think about what someone said or did to make me feel that way. I externalize it and find someone to blame. I make note of their possible wrongdoing and remember it. I say nothing about it. I distrust them in the future.
Good spiritual leaders repent frequently and authentically. They build trust through forgiveness by submitting to the work of the Holy Spirit. They are transparent and honest because they know their positional power will only be attenuated--not accentuated--through hiding, avoidance, self-protection and blame. Ultimately, they have more faith in Christ than in themselves.
I thank God for my brother in Christ and the lesson he taught me by following Jesus. His wisdom exceeds my own. He is not just writing about being a good example--he is actually living it and modeling it. Repentance is not just a leadership tool for him. It is the fruit of the Spirit in his life, drawing him closer to Christ and restoring relationships with others.
The evidence fits with what I see in Galatians, where the description of the fruit of the Spirit is posited against a host of interpersonal traits that distance us from one another (strife, enmity, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalry, dissension, and division). But like my brother in Christ, as we submit to the work of the Spirit in our lives, we find a different result: Peace. Patience. Gentleness. Kindness. Joy. Love.
I pray that same fruit for you and for me.
jd
