The Leader in Who? by Joy R. Wilson

Here in SANA we talk a lot about leadership. Innovative leadership to be exact—We exist to support and empower singles through innovative leadership for the purpose of transforming their communities.-- But you may feel like the term “leader” doesn’t apply to you. You may be thinking, I don’t have a leadership position in my job or in my church or even in my family! So who are they talking to? The leader in who? Well…we are talking to you!

I know you have a lot of evidence and reasons to support you believing you are not a leader, but hold on a minute. Hear me out!

People don’t just become great leaders after they are given a leadership title or role. Most great leaders displayed leadership qualities long before they ever obtained position or title. Let’s take a look at a biblical leader, Joseph son of Jacob who was a leader long before he was given the position of leadership, and at the same time I hope you will see how you too can be and are a leader right where you are.

If you know the story, you know that Joseph was the favorite son of Israel (Jacob), and for that his brothers hated him. When Israel displayed his favoritism toward Joseph in elaborate fashion by giving him a hand-made, multi-colored tunic, the brothers plotted to kill Joseph and be done with him forever. One of his brothers, Judah saved Joseph from death and convinced the brothers to sell him as a slave.

Pause—So Joseph was a slave? I thought you said he was a leader? Yep, you’re right. He was a slave and it is here that we will pick up our study. Upon arrival in Egypt, Joseph was bought by Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh. Genesis 39: 2 says “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man…” Joseph was a slave. It wasn’t exactly slavery as we know it in the United States, but nevertheless he was not a free man. He was many miles away from home. No family. No friends. No relief. And he had to work to stay alive. Perhaps you are or have been in a similar state. Maybe you are on a job where you are the lowest person on the totem pole. Maybe at your church, you just go and get a word of encouragement for you to make it through the week but that’s about it. Maybe you feel very isolated and alone. But if Jesus is the Lord of your life, you are not alone. As with Joseph, He is with you. He doesn’t just wait for you to become a leader and then show His presence. He is present with you now, and he will help you be successful right where you are.

As the Lord continued to bless Joseph, Potiphar noticed and gave him a promotion. He made Joseph overseer of his house and all that he had. In fact, it got to the point that Potiphar did not know all that he had—his net worth-- except the bread that he ate on a daily basis. That is an incredible amount of trust! What can we glean about leadership from this point? Well in addition to God’s favor, Joseph was a solid servant. You see trust at this level does not happen accidentally. Joseph, no doubt, built Potiphar’s trust in him by being timely, impeccable with his word, truthful in his dealings, and most importantly, looking out for his master’s good and not his own. Joseph probably recognized that as long as all was well with his master, all would be well with him also. If his master was prosperous, then the trickle-down affect would be that Joseph would have food, clothing, and shelter as well—even if it was far from family and home. The secret to leadership is service. Great leaders are those who seek to serve others to the best of their ability. They do not hold back or half-heartedly commit with a “what’s in it for me” attitude. Leaders can be found volunteering at homeless shelters and battered women shelters. Leaders stay after church to help clean. Leaders share ideas with their coworkers to help them be more successful, rather than selfishly trying to out-do their coworkers. Leaders share the lessons they have learned in life so that someone else can make better choices and avoid the same mistakes. True leadership is service.

So getting back to our story, Joseph eventually caught the lustful attention of Potiphar’s wife. At this point Joseph could have disgraced his integrity and tried to use this situation to his advantage. He could have given in to the wife’s evil intentions and perhaps blackmailed her with the truth for his personal gain.  But he maintained his integrity and for that Potiphar’s wife lied on him. Her lie resulted in Joseph being thrown in prison. Our lesson here is leaders do what is right no matter what. Leaders know that doing the right thing is far more important than doing the profitable thing. For sure Joseph wanted to be free and get back home to his loving father. But he didn’t allow bitterness or anger to push him to act out. He did not have the mentality that he had nothing to lose so why not? No, Joseph knew that his character would be soiled if he gave in. He did what was right even to the point of being falsely accused and punished. Do you need a leadership title or position to start doing the right thing? Does what you say and do only matter if you have a management/leadership position? Nope and nope. In fact, people who have no moral character before becoming leaders, are likely to struggle with doing what’s right after obtaining a leadership position. And, it is highly likely that they will have acquired that position through evil means. Doing what is right all the time, is a stepping stone to leadership.

Once in prison, Joseph had to diversify his skills. He brought with him his habit of servant-hood, moral character, and of course, the Lord was with him. Once again, the keeper of the prison developed a trust in Joseph such that he did not even check up on Joseph because he knew that everything would be well taken care of. After a while two prisoners came that had dreams they did not understand but they knew that their dreams were a message about their futures. Joseph’s response was “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me please.” Wait a minute! Did we miss somewhere that Joseph had acquired the skills of dream interpreter? No. But what we do need to notice is Joseph’s total reliance on God. In his continuing effort to serve others, Joseph desired to interpret the dreams of these prisoners, the baker and the cup bearer of the Pharaoh. But rather than puff himself up and attempt to serve out of his own strength, Joseph submitted himself to God to be used to help these people. Real leaders know that their own power is very limited. Real leaders continuously tap into the true source of power which is Jesus Christ. Real leaders are empowered to do things they may not have training for or experience doing by their relationship with the Lord. God wants to empower you to do each and every task you face each and every day. No matter how menial, nor how big you think it is. When you rely on God to help you do what must be done, you are leader because it will be done with excellence and God will get the glory. Real leaders forfeit their glory to and for the Lord.

So Joseph helps the baker and the cup bearer and in exchange he asks that they remember him and speak favorably about him to the Pharaoh so that he may be released. Notice that Joseph did not try to make an underhanded deal here. He maintains his integrity as we have discussed before. For a long time it seems that Joseph has been forgotten until the Pharaoh himself has a dream that needs interpretation. Good thing Joseph has experience in this right? So the cup bearer remembers Joseph and he is brought before Pharaoh to interpret the dream. Not only did Joseph interpret the dream that foretold of the coming seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine, but he also came up with a plan that would spare the lives of all of Egypt as well as position Egypt to become a wealthier nation than ever before. His advice was so sound that Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of executing this plan and made him second in command of all of Egypt. You would think this is it, right? He made it. Joseph rose from being sold into slavery by his brothers, to being a servant, to being a prisoner, to finally getting that leadership position. But no, this isn’t the prize. This is not the accomplishment for which Joseph receives the “Real Leader” award. You see during the seven years of famine Joseph’s family needed food and his brothers came to Egypt to by grain. Yes, those same brothers hated him and sold him into slavery in the first place.  When the brothers came to Egypt Joseph did not seek revenge on them for betraying him. He did not verbally abuse them or throw them into prison. He did not refuse to sell to them. When Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers he tells them “Do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life,’ Genesis 45:5. He forgave his brothers and used his resources to help his family. Joseph brought all of them including, his old father Israel, who thought he was dead, to Egypt so that they would not perish in the famine. Leaders know that everything they go through is to help someone else down the road. It may not look good at the time and it may even be harsh, cruel, and unfair. But leaders trust in God knowing that He will make all things work together for their good and they will use all of their experiences to serve someone else. Real leaders don’t get an attitude once they do have the title and the power. Instead they continue to be good stewards of that which they have been given. They continue to walk in integrity, serving others, and trusting God.

So what do you think? By now you should see that you can be a leader in your everyday life. God wants you to be leader not by doing big and great things, but by doing little things greatly. When you are on time for work, true to your word, and a good steward, you are a leader. When you are faced with a challenge and you immediately turn to God, you are a leader. You may think that you don’t have a leadership position and that you don’t matter. You may think that no one sees you. I can tell you for certain, someone is always watching you. Will you give them another disappointment to watch? Or will you show the people around you that you are a leader because you are being led by God? And by the way, God is always watching. He sees what you do in secret and will reward you openly. Real leaders know that their true service is to God. Real leaders want all that they say and do to be pleasing in His sight, whether man sees it or not. You don’t need a title or position to be a leader. You don’t have to have a list of degrees to be a leader. I am challenging you to be a leader every day. Joseph was a great example of how to lead in the lowliest of positions and his consistency brought him to place of leadership. He didn’t get to be a leader and then have to figure out how to behave. He had been practicing it all along. So will you accept the challenge? Will you step out on faith and trust God to empower you to lead in your everyday transactions? Will you answer to call? The world is waiting for the leader in who? The leader in YOU!