Driving Down The Gorge
I hate having the lights tell me what to do, so I always make sure I’m below the speed limit when I travel down ‘The Gorge’.
Reference: v.3 Mordecai the Jew ranked second in command to King Xerxes. He was popular among the Jews and greatly respected by them. He worked hard for the good of his people; he cared for the peace and prosperity of his race. (The Message Bible)
Explore: Every day I drive to work through ‘The Gorge’. The road down and through ‘The Gorge’ is very steep and windy. Recently, the road authorities fixed this segment of road and installed a big orange sign with flashing lights. If you are to drive down the steep hill into ‘The Gorge’ faster than the speed limit, the lights will start flashing as a warning for you to slow down. I hate having the lights tell me what to do, so I always make sure I’m below the speed limit when I travel down ‘The Gorge’. The other day, I was travelling along this road with two cars ahead of me and two behind. The lights started flashing at the two cars in front as they were travelling just slightly over the speed limit. I slowed right down, so the lights stopped flashing, and as I did so the two cars behind me also had to slow down. This resulted in them going at the correct speed limit and the lights did not flash at them either.
Application: When we are in a position of leadership, we are bound to have people following us. That means those we lead will replicate our actions. Sure enough, if I had have sped down The Gorge, the cars behind me could still have chosen to do the correct thing by slowing down. However, because I had obeyed the road rules they, in turn, had been led to do the same thing. Mordecai was put into a position of leadership and he chose to do the correct thing for his people. Due to his leadership there were many other Jews who took his lead and worked for the good and peace of their nation. This can be the result of our leadership too. If we choose to lead wisely, then there will be many people following us who also choose to act wisely.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the responsibility that you have placed upon us as we lead. Help us to use this role wisely and be conscious of the influence we are having on others. Amen.
Who has been a wise leader that you have followed?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.