Leading in Love
2 Corinthians 2:14
“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”
People always tell me, Wow, you’re such a leader. Whether that be in worship or with students, people have always placed a gentle hand of encouragement on my shoulder and spoke as if what they said was profound and filled with anointing. Sometimes I smile, feeling seen and encouraged, ready to push on and continue leading, but more often than not I let those kind words fill my soul with a strange pressure. I think, “Me? A leader?”
Here’s the truth, to some extent, we’re all leading to some degree. And the way we lead your life matters. When we said yes to Jesus and chose to follow in his footsteps we said yes to leading a life filled to the brim with love, gentleness, authenticity, and compassion.
I believe the church is in a very special time; a time unlike any other time it’s faced. The church body is called to be the aroma of Christ in 2 Corinthians 2:15. And now more than ever I feel our world needs that fresh scent of Jesus. And who leads that aroma? Well, that’s simple; you and me.
We lead in the way we speak to others. We lead in the way we comfort and check in on our neighbors. We lead in the simple smiles and casual “how are yous” in the grocery store. We lead in our friend groups when the conversion steers towards gossip. We lead every day in everything we do. And as followers of Jesus, men and women who know the deep love of God and know the way it changes lives, leading takes on a whole new look.
When you lead in love, lead like Jesus did, you begin allowing that aroma to change the world we live in. As you walk into this weekend be conscious of the way you lead. Are you leading the aroma of Christ into your friendships? Are you loving others well and seeing Jesus show up in mighty ways? Don’t be discouraged by the weight of the world, rather stand tall knowing full well the power of Jesus lives in you and he longs to use you to lead his love through this earth.