Leaders are often
ordinary people who accept or are placed in extraordinary circumstances that
bring forth their latent potential, producing a character that inspires
confidence and trust within others. Many of the great leaders in history were “victims”
of circumstances. They did not intend to be leaders, but the demand of life
ignited a sleeping spirit within them. The greatest leadership seems to surface
during times of personal, social, economic, political, and spiritual conflict. Some
of them are;
1.
MOSES: the historic Hebrew deliverer,
who became passionate about his purpose for freeing his fellow Hebrews, who
were slaves in Egypt, and leading them to a promise land.
2.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.: He was famous
with this unforgettable speech, “I Have a Dream”. Dr. King’s purpose was the pursuit
of equality, and his conviction and passion were a vision of his country, the
United States, in which freedom was every person’s right and privilege.
3.
SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL: Churchill’s
vision for Great Britain and the world influenced both individuals and nations
to extend themselves beyond what they thought they were capable of in order to
achieve victory. During World War II, before the United States entered the war,
Great Britain was an underdog, fighting single-handedly under the leadership of
Sir Winston Churchill to save not only England, but also most of Europe, from
being overrun and ruled by Nazi Germany. He was famous with the saying “Never
Give In, Never Give In – Never, Never, Never, Never.”
4.
NEHEMIAH: When some men from Judah
visited Nehemiah and told him that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and
that its gates had been burned. Rebuilding the wall became his purpose, which
created an all-consuming passion to restore what he could of the city. His deep
passion influenced Artaxerxes – who had no real reason to want to rebuild the
city of people his nation had conquered – to help Nehemiah fulfill his desire. He
provided his Nehemiah, who was his cupbearer with a safe passage to Jerusalem
and even supplied building materials. Nehemiah’s leadership was the result of
the discovery of a purpose that produced a vision and deep passion, which
influenced an entire population to rally to a cause that benefited the whole
nation and changed the course of history.
5.
QUEEN ESTHER: Esther was a beautiful
young Hebrew woman. Through am extraordinary set of circumstance, she became
the queen of the Persian king Ahasuerus, also known as Xerxes. When learned of
a plot to annihilate the Jews, she discovered that she had been born for a
critical purpose: preserving her people. Her uncle told her, in effect, “perhaps
you have become queen for such a time as this.”
When
Esther accepted her purpose, it became her passion, and she was willing to risk
her own life for fulfillment, saying, “If I perish, I perish.” Her courage and
grace under tremendous pressure influenced the king to agree to a plan to
protect the Jews, who were inspired to rally to defend themselves.
6.
NELSON MANDELA: Nelson Mandela’s live
purpose was the elimination of the policy of apartheid and the establishment of
a racial equality in South Africa. He desired the formation of a free and
democratic society for all people, black and white. His passion for this
purpose led him to fight for these causes, for which he was sentenced to life
in prison. At his trial, he explained his vision for his country.
Some other examples of effective leaders are also;
King David, Abraham Lincoln, Corrie Ten Boom, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan,
Paul, Mother Teresa.
VITAL
POINTS
·
The demands of leadership may require
that you stand alone in the face of conflict, public opinion, or crisis. Then,
that very willingness to stand for what you believe in, no matter what, is what
often inspires people to follow.
·
True leaders discover keys to the nature
of leadership from the examples of others, but they never try to become these
other leaders. They must use their own gifts and abilities to do what they are
individually called to do.
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