What’s Your Part?
You have become a Leader because you had the desire to become one, and because you were seen as someone who can shepherd others.
You likely heard Pastor Matt quote Ephesians 2:10 one Sunday and realized, “He’s talking about me.” As a follower of Jesus, he was! Here’s the passage:
“For I am God’s masterpiece. He has created me anew in Christ Jesus, so I can do the good things He planned for me long ago” (Ephesians 2:10).
So, with these thoughts being true, what is your part as a Leader in someone’s life?
You (likely) are not a counselor, but you now are in the deeper places of peoples lives as a Leader. When you have been invited into a person’s life, and they open up to you and begin to share their life struggles and victories with you, something sacred occurs. However, as this happens, this question needs to come to mind, “What is my part in this?”
When they share their need, it is not an invitation for you to share a story from your life coming to mind as they share their story, though it is tempting. You are in a Leaders role because you want to help people. It can feel like helping when we tell our story, how we find it like their story, and then tell them how we navigated it in our situation. There are appropriate times for our two-minute “elevator pitch stories, but mostly, the person you are with really needs you to listen instead of formulating how you want to respond.
Above all, avoid telling people what they “should” do. Your responsibility is to listen and pray. The Holy Spirit’s responsibility is to convict. Staying in your lane is a wise move.
Instead of telling your story or telling them what they should do, try these steps:
- Listen and be fully present.
- Ask a question using some of the words they just used. For example, “You mentioned how tired this situation makes you. What could help you have the energy you once had?”
- Listen again, and possibly ask another question to help the person know they have a caring partner as a Leader in their life.
- Close with, “How can I best pray for you as you face this situation?
Often, you will find a person, having been given the time to process and be listened to, will discern their own solutions. Solutions they own and are responsible for.