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When I was a young boy, I viewed my father as a superhero. He could fix things, drive a car, and fly an airplane. He taught me how to fish and paddle a canoe, and most importantly as I reflect upon my 62 years on planet earth, he showed me how to live a life of faith in Jesus Christ—to be a Godly leader to the best of my ability. “Without that son,” my dad explained, “nothing else truly matters in the grand scheme of things.”
As I grew up, I remember visiting my dad in his place of work. He was a department manager in a major retail store, and whenever he spent time on the floor, other employees would greet him with kindness and respect. I recall him talking to staff no matter how busy he was or how low on the totem pole someone’s position might be. I asked him why everyone liked him so much, and he told me that people gravitate towards those who show genuine interest and compassion towards others. “That’s why as a man of faith,” he explained, “I try to emulate Jesus’s love and show others that level of kindness and grace.”
I confess that I am not a store manager like my dad, nor do I lead sizable groups of people in any capacity. Despite that, I have tried to follow my dad’s lead by being like Jesus to everyone I meet, including co-workers, family, and friends. I once read that by striving to be a Godly leader and showing Jesus’s love to others, that I may be as close to a bible as some people ever come. As a Christian husband, father, and grandfather, I believe it is critical to follow the example of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He served with love and humility and never saw others as being inferior.
There are many verses in the bible to guide us in the role of leadership. I personally love short scripture verses that I will easily remember and cling to in my daily faith walk. Here is one such verse that pertains to being a Godly man and leader, and I consider it to be a doozie:
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ESV)
Simple words, but wise council from Almighty God need not be complicated. I urge you no matter your age or stage of life to heed the divinely inspired statutes above. Commit those 21 words to memory and make them your creed. After all, there are people in your life you already know and those you have yet to meet—all of which may ultimately depend on you to lead by example and to emulate Christ to a hurting world.
And, is that not what makes life worthwhile according to God’s purpose and plan for your life and mine?
I certainly believe so.
Paul Smyth
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