Exodus 17:4 (HCSB)
Then Moses cried out to the LORD, "What should I do with these people? In a little while they will stone me!"
The people were complaining because they had no water. It seems they were always grumbling and complaining. Moses felt at any moment the situation would erupt and they would rise up and stone him.
This gives me comfort. As a leader I have felt the same way. It is impossible to please all of the people all of the time. If one group likes the music another group is going to hate it. If one group likes the current sermon series another group is going to hate it. Some will like the decision and others are going to hate it. There is always a group of grumblers who want your hide. But it’s not just you and me. It was Moses too! The guy who led them out of Egyptian slavery and through the Red Sea—yeah, that guy too! So, none of us is immune. It goes with the territory. If you are a leader you will always be on trial. You will always be making someone unhappy.
I have a pastor friend who said it well. He had recently accepted the position as pastor of another church. He stood up the Sunday he resigned and said: “Today I am going to do what they say cannot be done. They say ‘You can’t please everyone.’ Well, today I will have accomplished pleasing everyone. I pleased some of you when I came to be your pastor. I pleased some of you while I was here. Now I am going to please the rest of you… I resign.”
How many times did Moses write his resignation? I think lots of times. But he hung in there and he saw the job through. I have more appreciation for this man than ever.
Leaders are always dependent on one more miracle from God to pull them through. Maybe that’s not a bad way to live.
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