Even King David Had His "Loser" Moments

I just finished reading part of the account between King David and his son Absalom. What a sad story. Absalom turns against his father, driving him out of Jerusalem, sleeping with his concubines, and finally attempts to kill David. Once again, this story reveals that even David, a man after God's own heart, had some things to work on. Namely here, his parenting skills.

It seems that often those of us in leadership positions can tend to get a big head. As I mentioned in my last blog we tend to think we can do things better or more efficiently than anyone else an so we go it alone. But even David had his faults. Being in a leadership position such as the pastorate can lead us to put on a mask that hides our faults. We think that if those around us don't see our faults then there won't be any conflict or any issues that will arise and my time in this leadership position will go on without a hitch. But that is a false sense of security. True, we shouldn't lay out our deepest, darkest secret for the whole world to hear about. We shouldn't tell people in the church too much about the struggles in our marriage or family. More than likely that information will come back and bite us in the future. But we can stand firm and speak openly about how we are sinners like everyone around us. It is God that works through a sinner so that His glory is revealed and celebrated.

So, the next time those of us in a leadership position begin to think that God needs us or that we need to put on a mask to hide the fact that we "regenerate sinners" (Paul Veal's words) we can stand firm in the fact that God does not need us. He only chooses to use us to bring Himself the glory. We can stand firm in the fact that everyone knows that we are wearing a mask. Masks only candy coat the reality that we need God and those around us to do ministry. And we can stand firm in the fact that in the end God's will will be done because He is in control. Amen and amen.