Leading All Alone

"Redwood Giants," Photo by Alex Gorham on Unsplash

When you're on the front lines, it can often be a lonely place.

You're one of very few who have dared to step out of the status quo.

At times, there are few who understand the weight you carry and the burden you bear. And just when everyone else catches up to you, you pioneer again. Because that's what great leaders do. They expand the realm of possible and then invite everyone who comes behind to follow. And then they do it again and again.

So why would anyone willingly choose this life of obscurity, of being misunderstood and often resisted? Who in their sound mind would choose this unique road of near oppression?

If you've found yourself there, it's likely not something you felt like you found. Instead, it found you. It's not something you chose. It chose you. You can't escape it, you can't isolate it, and you can't quarantine it.

You, my friend, are a leader.

A leader goes boldly to the places no one else has yet ventured. Resistance and all, you trudge forward, knowing the ground you take will, in turn, result in many having the opportunity to step in, following your footsteps.

The truth is, you see things that no one else does. Where everyone else simply sees a jungle of confusion, chaos, and unclear future and direction, you see the possibility of paths being forged. With a machete in your hand, you yield a path that gives clarity to those who come behind you.

I will continue to pray that peace would pervade and that hope would swallow you whole.
Know that I am always in your corner and I am cheering you on.