Many pursue leadership simply to be in positions of power and to push their own agendas. Not wanting to be fueled by such pride, many others then become reluctant to accept even the positions given to them by God. And this is often the case when it comes to our very homes. But it’s not pride to ask our family to follow us as we are following Christ.
To be sure, pride and selfishness motivates many leaders, as they’re drunk on the power of getting others to do what they want. And perhaps this was our motivation as well as we interacted with our wife and kids. And naturally we want to turn away from such motivations as we grow and mature spiritually. But this transition is not away from leadership itself, only the heart behind our leadership.
God has appointed us as the leaders of our home – the kings over the domain he has given us. This is not a position we take for ourselves or have to earn. It is our divine right and responsibility as husbands and fathers. But this also means we don’t get to set the terms of our leadership. God has given us the marching orders for us to follow, which is to guide our family toward becoming more and more like Christ. Of course, we will do this with our own personality and flavor, but the core mission remains the same for each one of us.
As such, our leadership in the home is not about getting what we want. Nor is it focused merely on making our wife and kids happy. Rather, we’re charged with doing whatever’s necessary to point our family toward Christ and create an atmosphere of love within our home – helping each member to become light in a dark world. This is our duty that’s not negated due to our past sins, or the opinions of others.
In the end, courageously lead your home not by pushing your own agenda, but by inviting your family to follow you as you follow Christ.
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