The Burden of Leadership

Numbers 11:18–20 (HCSB)

“Tell the people: Purify yourselves ‹in readiness› for tomorrow, and you will eat meat because you cried before the LORD: ‘Who will feed us meat? We really had it good in Egypt.’ The LORD will give you meat and you will eat. You will eat, not for one day, or two days, or five days, or 10 days, or 20 days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes nauseating to you—because you have rejected the LORD who is among you, and cried to Him: ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”

“Who will give us meat? Why did we ever leave Egypt? We really had it good back there.”

What?? How quickly we forget! They were miserable slaves in Egypt.

Moses learned "You don't have to be a cannibal to get fed up with people!"

It seemed all these people ever did was whine. No wonder Moses cried, “I can’t bear these people any more. Lord, go ahead and kill me.” Those who have ever been in a position of leadership know how Moses felt.

There are some people you can please some of the time;

There some people cannot please any of the time,

But no leader can please all of the people all of the time.

Nope, just can’t do it. Not possible. Never was… never will be. Just realize it and get over it.

Are you a leader? There are those times when the people will cry for your head on a stick. Just be sure you can live with yourself. Be sure, as much as you can be, that what you are doing is the right thing. Pray… pray… and pray some more. Then make your decision and be prepared for the consequences.

A white pastor decided his church needed to be multiracial. He hired a black staff member. 800 people left his church! He stuck by his guns, but he paid a heavy price.

We applaud his courage, but we're not in his shoes. As a pastor and I know how it rips your heart to see those people leave—many of them good people. It casts a cloud over the entire church. It hurts. But that pastor did the right thing.

Leadership is never easy. If it were, everyone would be doing it. God bless those who do it right.