Leaders Face Giants!

In the 2006 film Facing The Giants, a football coach faced the giants of a losing football team, getting fired, financial woes, and infertility. The movie chronicles his journey of trusting God and working through his issues. It is an inspiring story about overcoming through the power of God.

In a recent training meeting for small group leaders I was reminded again of the Giants in our lives. Don Heron an Area Manager with Leader Impact Group said that if you are leading people you will face giants in your life. All Leaders Face Giants!

While many heads nodded, Don pressed on. He gave the biblical example of David. Many see the giants in their lives like David’s great giant – Goliath. We will rise willingly to the public challenges and big problems in our leadership. We will risk sacrificially to do the heroic. Yet more subtle giants awaited David, and await us.

2 Samuel 11:1, 2     “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent …out …the whole … army… But David remained in Jerusalem.  One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,”

Many of us fall, like David, not to public giants like Goliath, but to the private giants of “not going out to war”, or seeing a woman bathing. These private giants are often unseen to our teams and insidious in their effect. In time, these private giants become public problems like marriage challenges, financial crisis, health issues etc.

As a leader, one of the wisest things we can do is be vulnerable about our giants with a few close friends. Not just transparent about problems, but vulnerable about temptations, struggles, and trials so that they can enter in to provide support, prayers and encouragement. By doing so, you not only protect yourself, you model vulnerability to your key leaders to help them avoid the same pitfalls. Sometimes the power of God is dispensed through caring friends.

All Leaders Face Giants! Are you helping your leaders overcome them?