Leadership Is Like A Foundation
Some leaders are like the front door of a house. They are the most visible part of an organization, and may be the main way that people become involved, but once they get inside, they find the reality to be different than the initial appearance.
Other leaders function like the roof, protecting the organization but may be "above" the real workings of the building.
Still others leaders are like an inner room, reclusive and secretive, protecting the most valuable possessions of the organization.
Each of these styles of leadership is exercised by the exertion of power and influence.
But the Bible speaks of a different kind of leader--a leadership style that offers something unique where power has been abused and systems have faltered. This style of leadership functions like the foundation of the building. Often unseen and sometimes ignored, the foundation creates the environment, sustains the workings, and ensures the success of the entire organization. "Foundation leadership" is collaborative, supportive, and strong in ways that transfer strength to everyone involved.
In Mark 9:33-35, we find Jesus confronting some of his leaders-in-training about their concern over who should be considered the "greatest" among them. Jesus tells them that to be the greatest leader, one must become a servant, not the master - the foundation, not the front door or the roof.
Polar Bear One Another's Burdens
Perhaps you've seen the many social media posts (on Facebook, Instagram, etc), claiming that it is illegal to lock your car doors in the town of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. But is it true? Well, yes and no ...
“There is no current law in place in Churchill that requires residents to not lock their vehicle doors,” Paul Manaigre, a spokesman for the RCMP in Manitoba, the province that Churchill belongs to, told AFP by email.
But the claim is grounded in some truth. Churchill, population 900, is known for frequent polar bear visits when the ice on the nearby Hudson Bay melts in the warmer months.
According to Manaigre, “It is common knowledge that polar bears may enter the community at any time, and those that may need to seek shelter from a polar bear can use a vehicle, as most people will leave them unlocked for this purpose.”
“It’s just a common practice to leave your doors open. I never lock my car doors in my personal vehicle,” Erica Gillis, a research technician at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, told AFP.
She explained that this custom is partly due to the polar bear threat, but also because Churchill is a remote, isolated community not accessible by road. “There aren’t many roads other than the main street,” Gillis added.
There is an estimated population of 935 polar bears in the western Hudson Bay area, where Churchill sits. As a response to the frequent bear visits, the town established a polar bear alert program. A team tranquilizes the animals if they enter town and takes them to a polar bear holding center, known by locals as the polar bear jail.
Thanks to the program, the Manitoba town has not had a bear-related fatality since the early 1980s.
The comments on the social pages range from disbelief and fear, to fancy and sarcasim. But the comment that seemed to jump off the page ...
Now THAT'S community!
Indeed, that IS community: A tight knit group of people, all looking out for one another, intentionally making provision for one another's refuge and safety. My car is your car. In this village, in this community, we protect and care for one another.
Appropriately and ironically, this little town is call "CHURCHill" (wink), where they collectively "bear" one another's burdens.
In our wild and unruly world where all manner of "bears" are seemingly out to get us, the church is called to be that village where the doors of refuge are always unlocked, waiting to welcome us in to help us stand against the lurking dangers. Now THAT'S community!
"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2, ESV).
"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others, (Philippians 2:4, ESV).
"Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor," (1 Corinthians 10:24, ESV).
"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God," (Hebrews 13:16, ESV).
Trusting God with Time
We all want to be Dr. Strange.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are six infinity stones. They are a group of cosmic gems that grant their owner great power. One of these six stones is the Time Stone.
The time stone grants its owner the power to rewind and fast-forward time. Dr. Strange discovered the stone in his origin movie, using it to trap the villain Dormammu in a time loop so that Dormammmu couldn't destroy earth. Then, he wears the stone throughout Infinity War.
But Thanos, a powerful, purple humonoid with superhuman strength and power, "used the Infinity Stones to 'snap' his fingers, which resulted in the instantaneous destruction of half of all life in the universe, effectively wiping out half of all living beings across the cosmos."
As the good guys are fighting the villain Thanos and his army, Dr. Strange tells Iron Man that if he has to choose between giving up the stone and saving the lives of the Avengers, he’ll prioritize the stone. Yet, later in Infinity War, he uses the power of the Time Stone to look into the many possible futures that could play out. He gleans from this knowledge that he will have to give up the stone to Thanos in order for the Avengers to eventually defeat him.
Like Dr. Strange, who wouldn't want to control time? In a way, by controlling time, you could effectively control everything else, because you could leap from from past to present, righting wrongs or forseeing future disasters and averting them.
Yet it is only as we give up trying to control everything, as Dr. Strange gave up the power of the Time Stone to save the universe, that we’ll find a release of freedom to simply trust God and enjoy life here in the present.
As Psalm 90:12 says, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (NIV).
And as the Lord Himself said, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34, NIV).