The issue of identity is possibly the most important issue leaders have to resolve if they are going to be rightly motivated to serve in their role.
This was recently brought home to me when I watched an unusual video clip of a teacher in his classroom. He held up a twenty dollar note and asked his students, “Who would like this note?” They all raised their hands. He then did his best to crumple up the note and again asked his class, “Who would like this now?” They all raised their hands. He then threw the twenty dollar note on the floor and trampled on it and again asked …
Policemen in a certain town were called to a house where people were found to be stealing possessions from that house. Surprisingly, the policemen stayed on the footpath outside of the house and began to sing about the authority that had been given to them to arrest lawbreakers. As they declared their authority to one another, the robbers completed the task at hand of robbing the house of all its possessions and departed the scene.
In preparation for a new year, I spent a recent December on a retreat at home to get perspective from the Lord for the coming year.