Looking in the Mirror

by Fred Garmon

Examine for a moment Ephesians 4:1-3 (New Living Translation):

The Apostle Paul says, “…lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.  2 Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.  3 Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.”

My initial assumption is that you are reading this article because you are  a “leader” or aspiring to “leadership.” So, let us discuss this extremely popular subject and narrow our focus to “Christian” leadership.

I have been intrigued by the study of leaders (people) and leadership (a process) for more than thirty years. My passion for leadership was and still is driven by the desire to learn as much as possible so that I could teach others how to be more effective leaders. But three decades of study and experience has revealed a wise revelation—while the process of leadership is about serving others, becoming a leader is about learning to play and tune your own personal instrument; and that instrument is the self—the instrument is YOU. Yes, becoming a leader requires that you turn a scrutinizing eye on yourself—and in so doing you will find that a few moments of brutal honesty can save you (and others you lead) years of pain.

The context of Paul’s instruction implies that the life Paul is alluding to is non-other than your own—“Lead YOUR life!” It is, therefore, from this scriptural foundation that I announce our first leadership principle; “Leadership development begins with self-development.”

So, pause for a moment and think deeply about this principle and let us begin our time together by wrestling with and discussing the following question:

What does “leading your life” or “self-development” look like?
Especially in light of the characteristics the Apostle Paul includes in this passage of scripture?