But Are You Doing it Together?

Photo by Timon Studler on Unsplash

As leaders one of the hardest things we ever have to deal with is the isolation of leading.

Making decisions, crafting messages, casting vision. It all compounds on the head and the heart. It doesn’t take long before isolation has fully set in.

Yet, what we see in Scripture compels us to find community. From the Book of Acts to the letter of Paul to Timothy - relationships matter.

Over the last several years one of the things I’ve realized is that not all friendships are created equal.

That doesn’t make one bad and another good - just different. This differentiation has been good for me to make sure that I’m walking with Jesus with people!

Real friends - just like the name implies, these are your closest allies. They don’t care about your position and will hang with you no matter what. Think Band Meeting or the folks you talk about the intimate stuff with. Real friends are important to keeping you healthy as a leader.

Role friends - these are the folks that are in your life because of the role you play in theirs. Again, not a bad thing, just people who know you serve a position in their life. As a result, they may have expectations of you, and that’s okay too. Most church members and coworkers fall into this category.

Internet friends - I use this term because you wouldn’t stay in contact with them if it weren’t for the Internet. They may cheer you on from a distance, they may have thoughts for you in the DM’s. The truth this, that this last group might even be a stretch to call a friend. If you aren’t meeting with people in person I don’t know how much it counts, but a group to clarify nonetheless.

Leaders, you probably have people in every group. I just want to encourage you this morning - get clear about who is where. Know the people who know you, and whatever you do - don’t do this alone!