The gift in the manger

I had always thought a manger as an animal house. How wrong I was! A manger is actually a feeding trough for cattle or horses. The most precious gift of all time was laid in the manger! So Jesus was not just laid in some place in the animal house. It was actually the feeding trough. It does not cease to blow my mind the fact that God chose to give the Saviour in such a lowly place. It was no coincidence that the inns were all filled up. God wanted it so. This points some things out to me:

• The things of greatest value are with the lowly.
• Things of abundant worth do not need extensive packaging. The value will still show forth. In fact excessive packaging may belie a content of little value.
• Value is not always in the celebrated or well-known place.

It still blows my mind that the greatest of all gifts was given in a manger!

 

Strong Lealdership

I have always believed in the idea of ‘strong Leadership’. Leadership is strong when leadership is worthy and deserving. It is when shorn of the authority derived by rules or law or tradition or strong financial position, those you lead still find you worthy of their submission or obedience or service—followership— as the case may be. Of course your journey to strong leadership may (and will most of the time) require the use of official authority. But if your authority as a leader derives only from authority bestowed by position then you do not exercise strong leadership. 

If as a parent your authority to influence your adolescent child derives only from power to control his cash flow, the day he can sufficiently do without your money, your influence on him is gone. If as a husband your authority to influence your wife derives only from your higher financial (status), the day she exceeds your financial status (by whatever means) your authority is lost to the wind. (Some pathetic husbands will do everything to maintain their higher financial status even if it means undercutting their wives!) If as CEO your authority to lead your organization derives only from your power to fire and hire, then you do not exercise strong leadership. ‘ONLY’ as used in the above scenarios is instructive.

The power to control an adolescent’s cash flow or to fire and hire are components of the authorities of the parent and CEO respectively but for them to be the only or main source of authority is to exercise weak leadership.

Some Qualities of Strong Leadership (I know the list is more!)

• Vision—leaders must possess a clear sight of the destination the group is headed towards.

• Conviction—when ‘voices’ say something is green and a leader says it is green. Sometime later, the ‘voices’ say the same thing is red, and he says again it is red. Such leader is not a person of conviction. While a leader must not be unreasonably headstrong, he must be able to stand for his beliefs.

• Circumspect speech—all persons of worth take their words seriously hence they give it carefully. Because leaders are expected to follow through on their words, they must watch what they say.

• Openness—this means they are willing to hear and consider other points of view. They are ready to review positions when another is offering a better perspective or a view that enriches their positions.