What do you do with...

"Oh what do you do with a General, when he stops being a General? Oh what do you do with a General who's retired?"

If you're a fan of Christmas movies, you'll recognize that line as one from Bing Crosby's and Danny Kaye's White Christmas. (If you haven't seen the film, it is well worth the watch just for the "Sisters" routine!) The premise in the song is that two now famous entertainers (Crosby and Kaye) who served under the General are looking to boost his troubled ski lodge during a warmer-than-usual winter. Our discussion today, Servant Leader, is what to do when we are that General!

Servant leaders come to be in many ways. Some of us were servants first and became leaders over time or through circumstances. Some were leaders who learned to serve through an answered calling. Others may have been reluctant to lead, preferring to remain just below the skyline in service to leadership. While still others found service as an answer to a failing leadership style. The paths to servant leadership are myriad. To be honest, one doesn't even have to be an Alpha personality to become a servant leader, although, many are. For those who are Alphas, how do we handle it when there is no one to lead, no one to follow, and no one demanding our time? More still, how do we handle it when God is silent? When we are in limbo, when our current approach is more frustrating than successful, or when God seems absent, how do we Alphas respond?

The great King David dealt with God's silence quite a lot, as evidenced by the many Psalms on the topic.

"How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?" (Psalm 13:1-2, NKJV)

"Truly my soul silently waits for God." (Psalm 62:1, NKJV)

And who among us who has read the story of Job can forget his plea when God was silent.

"When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His face, who then can see Him, whether it is against a nation or a man alone?" (Job 34:29, NKJV)

The challenge, Servant Leader, is is reconciling our desire to lead with God's desire for us to learn. Just because He has built us to lead doesn't mean He doesn't also know when we need to step back, recharge, smell the roses, reassess, reprioritize, and refocus. Sometimes, Servant Leader, God is simply saying "Be still," not because we have forgotten that He is God, but expressly because we know that He is God. Sometimes, Servant Leader, God's "Be still" is a command to be present as He unfolds His plan. Servant Leader, can God's perceived lack of action on our part even be the purpose of the silence on His part? Of course it can. He is God, the One True God, who knows all, who sees all, and whose plan is perfect - we just have to be still, wait, trust in Him, and enjoy the ride.

Because sometimes that's the whole point of the exercise.

"But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me." (Psalm 13:5-6, NKJV)

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