Two Quick Leadership Lessons from Maxwell on Moses

Learnings that are too good to keep to myself

Here’s the thing…

Beginning sometime last year, I became a bit of a Bible nerd. I don’t know if it’s my new job at the theological seminary, the shift in my home environment that promotes more devoted study, or, more miraculously, a call from God himself that has birthed such a curiosity in understanding the Word, but I’ve been on a wild carpet ride of wisdom ever since, and I love it. 

That said, I just cracked open my new Maxwell Leadership Bible (shout out to my Mom for the gracious gift), giving me all sorts of insights behind each story to show how scriptures point us toward the do’s and don’ts of leadership. It’s been enlightening, and I would be an irresponsible friend to keep all these gems to myself. 

Here are two quick leadership lessons I learned today based on my readings.

Lesson 1: God cultivates his leaders in the wilderness. 

“Once God established a people for his own and they pledged to follow him, he proceeded to the next stage of leadership necessary for building them into a people whose hearts beat to the same rhythm as his own…He led Moses into the wilderness to prepare and develop him as a leader.” - John Maxwell.

I’ve been in the wilderness a lot. It’s starting to feel like I thrive here like King David and his mighty men. I’ve experienced social exile, shame, guilt, resentment, envy, and a whole lot of betrayal, yet my faith reassures me the past isn’t the end of the world. Sometimes, experiences separate us so God can meet us when we’re far away from the world’s noise and more receptive to change. 

Lesson 2: Don’t lose sight of the vision. 

“The book of Exodus records how God’s people failed to cooperate, doubted the vision, disobeyed the rules, worshiped material things, forgot their goals, and soured on their leader — all of which delayed their dream by 40 years. Not only did the people doubt Moses’ leadership; they also doubted God’s.” - John Maxwell.

I don’t know about all of you, but I feel convicted at this point. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve vowed to be consistent with God, only to lose sight of my goals and fall back into harmful procrastination patterns, self-pity, and doubt. 

This Christian walk is not for the faint of heart. Although journeying with Jesus guarantees rest and freedom from legalism and perfectionism, it’s still a tall order to follow the will and ways of God, to which we will forever fall short. However, there’s hope for the righteous. When we wait on the LORD instead of trying to rush results by doing things our way, we leave room to receive divinely ordained blessings instead of manufactured ones. 

Good right?

Well, that’s what I’ve got for the evening. I pray these passages encourage you to understand that although we may find ourselves in valleys or lost in the wilderness, we are never too distant from God’s love. Sometimes, God uses tough seasons to strengthen us and set us up to have a more significant impact. Therefore, we owe it to ourselves and our Father in Heaven to handle those testing seasons with grace and prove that we can endure even the harshest conditions with faith.