Tag Archives: The Every Day Leader

The Every Day Leader: Railroad tracks and Frequent stops

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Do you ever feel like there is no end in sight?  That perhaps the hard journey you are on will keep going and you wonder if you can make it? 

I would venture to say that you are not alone.

Hard times in our lives are like that.  Even if we know there is an end ahead, it feels like it is so far away that we want to give up.  We  are weary and want to rest.  We are discouraged. We are heartbroken.

I look at the railroad track that seems as if it goes on forever.  What I love is that even though it goes for miles and miles, it stops at destination points.  It picks up or delivers the cargo.

railroad copy

Our journey in life is much the same.  There are destinations in the midst of our trip that provide respite, where God is at work caring for us.  It may be a caring friend, kind words from a coworker, someone checking in us…little bits of encouragement along the way.  It is the times when people invest in you.

It is those times, those destinations along the way that keep us going.  This is especially true when the journey is long and hard.  It is when the journey has unexpected twists and turns that are difficult to navigate alone.

Every day leaders not only provide those respite times for others on their journey, but they also recognize and embrace those that provide it for us.  Both of these opportunities are times when we have to choose. We have to be intentional to let others be that rest stop and speak encouragement into our lives.

We have to choose to be the refreshment for someone else.

The  train goes along and stops here and there.  Just as our lives go along and has stops here and there.  We have to choose to get off on the stops.  To refresh, not only ourselves but others.

Every day leaders know it is what we all need.  We know that our intentional choices make a difference in the lives of another on their journey of life.

The Every Day Leader: Behind the Scenes of the Unseen

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“Being unseen is not the same as unimportant” (Lance Witt)

I am not mechanically inclined. I have kids that are, but for some reason my brain just does not think that way. I do however, get the importance of assembling ALL the pieces to something, no matter how small. I get that a light fixture can look terrific – but if there is faulty wiring it changes everything.

The things that are not seen, the small parts, the wiring….they are important, even essential.

Our lives are no different.

Not everyone will play a role in the limelight, or be a leader by position. And if they do, it may not be lasting. Our culture says that being someone important is what life is all about; it is having an important title or position. If you are important you usually have money and status. Society says your life means something when you have these things.

We are drawn to what is seen, not the unseen. We are drawn to those in the spotlight. We are a nation that loves to watch the Royals, celebrities, follow Trump and Warren Buffet, and even follow and seek out famous worship leaders.

We equate “being a somebody” as important. And equally so, if you are behind the scenes you are a “nobody” and somehow you are unimportant. Many of us buy into that thinking. We think that since we have not succeeded in life in the limelight then we are just not as important even though we have lived quietly behind the scenes. The “seen” becomes the people of value and those sought after and the “unseen” people we deem as having no value to give.

I think about my parents. They have lived a quiet life. They have worked hard, been involved in their church and community – behind the scenes. They have spent their lives loving others whenever possible. They did it without thinking. They did not care about the limelight or if they mattered in the eyes of others. They did not buy into our society’s view of success. Life was not about what you did, but who you are.  To them, life was about investing in others quietly, without grandeur and announcing it.

My parents are every day leaders. I look at their life and see a life without a huge amount of material possessions, yet they have lived a full and happy life. Lives that have invested in many others over the years – kids, grandkids, great grandkids, their kid’s friends, their friends, their neighborhood, and their community.  They all love and respect them. This is a testament to a life lived well, a life that did not need fame, title, position, or money to make a difference.

They got it.. little things matter. Those things which what you can’t see… THEY MATTER.

It is this principle they have modeled to me my whole life. It’s what every day leaders do. They influence the lives of the people that they come in contact with and those around them.

What is your life about? Are you caught up in being a somebody of importance? Do you think your life is meaningless if you don’t have a great job, money, position, or title?

It is the behind the scenes people who often have a tremendous impact on others. Life is not about them – they don’t care about position or being in the center. They live their life in such a way that the limelight doesn’t matter. They get that stuff: their job, money, and more – do not equal success and likewise, without it does not equal failure.

They are comfortable in their own skin, comfortable in how God made them and how they are wired and that makes them successful in everything they do.

Every day leaders influence – sometimes quietly. They love quietly. They invest in others without attention to what they are doing. They know that what is often unseen, matters.