No one ever told me, “You’re a leader!” Yet as I became a man, I was leading everywhere.
But because no one had ever “released” or “blessed” me as a leader, I was well in my mid 40s before I started to get comfortable with people calling me a leader. Before then, I always deflected it.
I started telling certain men, “You’re a leader!” The responses have been exhilarating. In every case you can feel their joy, recognition, and hope. In many cases you can also feel their discomfort.
That’s when I get to tell them my story. We commiserate. But by the time we’re finished, they feel like they have been “acknowledged,” “released,” and “commissioned” to go and be a leader for the glory of God.
How about you? Have you received the blessing, “You’re a leader?”
It has always been that in our darkest hours unexpected leaders rise up. These leaders speak with a clarity of vision that galvanizes our resolve to bring about social change.
These often previously obscure leaders tap into the dissonance we feel. They articulate a compelling, resonant message. They often live difficult lives that prepare them “for such a time as this.”
They are not necessarily the most impressive looking, the most articulate, the brightest, or the most successful. Yet, these servant leaders willingly sacrifice their lives for the greater good.
It is a dark hour for the family. There exists an urgent need for leaders who will see the crisis, and realize they have been prepared “for such a time as this.” If this makes your heart soar and ache, then let me be the one to bless you: “You’re a leader!”
Joseph Mattera 
BJ Foster 
Shelby Bowen 
