Whether you are in the marketplace or in public, you never know who’s watching. In my previous post, I gave an example of the good that can come as a result of exhibiting the fruits of God’s Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control — in the process of serving our customers in the midst of often trying situations. A couple of years after the first incident, I witnessed another one — one that I can only say was very ugly.
It was a year or so after 9/11. Air travel was a miserable experience: full of lines, random searches, and other inconveniences. I was traveling home after a consulting engagement and was making a connection in Denver. As I waited in line at the counter at my gate to ask a question, the guest at the front of the line absolutely exploded at the agent. He demanded to get on the next flight even though it was not the one that he was booked on. The agent could not make that happen. One reason was that it was full. The other reason was that at that time security regulations prohibited passengers from boarding a plane if their bags were on another plane. The agent patiently explained all these reasons, and he just kept getting angrier, stating his status as a premiere flyer with the airline, and on and on. When the agent didn’t budge, he demanded to know her name, her supervisor’s name, and threatened to report them to the airline management.
Then he turned and stormed off. That’s when I was stunned because as he turned I recognized him as one of the world’s prominent Christian ministry leaders. He was renowned for his expertise and influence, for his authorship of many books, and his thought leadership in global missions strategy. My regard for him instantly evaporated that night. And I later regretted that I didn’t chase him down and confront him as a fellow follower of Christ for his unacceptable behavior. I’m just relieved that the agent did not know who he was.
Leadership is not something that you turn on when you are performing for an audience of admirers and followers, and then switch off when you are off-stage
Maybe there was a reason for this leader to have an “off day”. I don’t know. I want to be charitable. But what I do know is that leadership and especially spiritual influence is not something that you turn on when you are performing for an audience of admirers and followers, and then switch off when you are off-stage. Spiritual influence is what Marilyn displayed, in the previous post: the always-present fruit of God’s Spirit in all of life’s situations.
Do you turn on and turn off your “testimony”? Is your leadership and influence something that is authentic, truly flowing out of your spirit? Or is it something you fire up when it’s time to perform? Are you acting as a leader or are you making a difference because you are truly salt and light?
