Deciding how much of your burden to share is a big issue. My guess is that the better the leader you are, the less you talk about it. Sharing your burden with the church... or the organization... puts a cloud over the people you lead.
There's only one thing worse than leading people who don't share your burden. And that is trying to convince them to share it.
It lets them know you're weak, that you can't handle the burden, and that the vision isn't worth the cost.
Believe me, people know you've got the burden. They don't want it. They've got their own burdens. Now, they respect you for having it. But not if you complain about it. Instead, find yourself a small group of confidants above you or beside you to share the pain of the burden.
so true.
i remember being very passionate about something early in my ministry...i think i was 23 or 24...
went to a conference that rob bell spoke at, and had a chance to talk to him after about what i was thinking.
he started out his response by saying "don't let your passion become annoying" -- of course i wanted to spread it to everyone and change the world! but in my youth didn't realize how this could come across and actually have a negative influence.
Posted by: anne jackson | October 14, 2008 at 10:52 AM
thank you ben.
this is timely.
Posted by: jason | October 14, 2008 at 11:05 AM