"God's leaders are not essentially leaders because of certain natural qualifications. . . They go to school with God, and in a hard school the kind of qualities required by God are inculcated. Another general thing about leaders chosen by God is that they while being very human, are, in many respects, a class by themselves They are pioneers, and pioneers are lonely people in more respects than one. In some ways they are difficult people. Their nature generally likes not to be disturbed, but would seek the easy way, the pioneer is often a bit too much for people. He is restless, never satisfied, always pressing and urging forward. The keynote of his life is 'let us go on.' His is not the easy way, and because human nature does want the easy way, the leader is not always popular. The whole nature of man is either downward or to a quiet and happy mean and snugness. The pioneer is therefore not always appreciated, but often very much otherwise. He is so much contrary to this mediocre gravitation. A part of the price of leadership is loneliness." (Sparks September 1962)
I think this quote from T. Austin Sparks is true in just about any area of leadership and I just want to focus in on one specific area - and that is the teaching of grace. It can be lonely at times. You preach to blank faces, and angry faces. You face rejection. You are the "difficult person" in the room, not because you're tactless or a jerk or self-serving or self-righteous, but simply because your honest heart speaks things that go against the flow of the norm, no matter how lovingly you do it. You are most definitely not always popular. But yet you cannot find it within yourself to compromise or sell out for even a minute, just to be accepted or at peace with everyone.
I'd like to borrow from a story I heard from Bill Gillham (Lifetime Guarantee) a while ago (using my own words, because I can't remember the exact words he used). One time somebody essentially 'accused' him of teaching "that easy grace stuff." Gillham's reply was that grace is by no means easy. It goes against the religious preeminence of the flesh.
I agree. Grace goes against the way people are wired by default. Grace is hard to accept and believe and trust, especially when the bewitchery of the foolish Galatian world is so prevalent in today's Christian culture.
However, when you've been released from the bondage of religion and you've experienced the freedom of true, pure grace, you know that you can never go back! You have a joy within you that sustains you and that cannot be defeated. You know that when you're sharing your heart with other believers who are entrenched in the dead works of religious duty, you have their best interests in mind, even if they reject what you are saying, or even reject you personally. And yep, it can be lonely but yet there is that peace and that joy within, and the knowledge that Jesus Himself, grace Personified, was rejected and scorned long before you were. He was despised, and yet for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God!
I just want to say that I'm thankful for the community of friends I've become acquainted with during the past few years through the internet, especially the friends I've met through Blogger and MySpace during the past year to year and a half. My life will never be the same because of you all! Although I haven't shared much about the lonely road that I've been on in my personal life (not in regards to true friendships, but in regards to sharing God's grace with my church friends), I can say with all assurance that my online friendships have truly helped to make the burden light and the yoke easy. Thank you!
