Any man who doesn’t follow or who is not loyal, doesn’t inspire loyalty and therefore doesn’t deserve to be followed.
The concepts of leadership and loyalty in principle are meant to be much interconnected as identical twins. To many, envisioning the aspect of leadership sounds so appealing to them that the aspect of following/loyalty becomes another child lost in the jungle who in real sense shouldn’t be missing to make the family complete.
The few or many years I have been blessed to live, I have seen many gifts and talents waste away, I have seen promising stars go deem, I have seen future prospects get forgotten, I have seen those that truly were in the right direction of growth diverting to an unpleasant destiny.
All for what surely? Stick with me!
And the world today with social media and artificial popularity doesn’t make it any better for all of us; it all starts with opening a Facebook page (or another social media platform) to connect with friends we are no longer in touch with or meeting new friends with whom we share similar ideals, or for business purposes and campaigns for a specific cause (which should be ideal), and later on, we get hyped and pumped into making lots of friends more than we need just to make sure we remain relevant and perhaps competitive with our friends that have more friends than we do (not even knowing if the reasons they have them are similar to ours), and then ensure that we write something interesting that we have perhaps coped somewhere else; just to have more likes.
As a result, some people start falling into depression because their posts have not been liked or even start unfriending/blocking those that don’t like their posts, and that is a fact, one person wrote on their Facebook wall that, "I take that business (likes) seriously”. Crazy, right?
Relationships too get lost in all that false hype. (It reminds me of Lucifer telling Jesus that worship me and I will give you the cities of this world to rule over. Total lie, right?) Once an angel, but later on felt He can as well be God. Expelled from heaven and cursed to wonder and roam, that everyone living curses, rebukes it and never wants to associate with it, even when it promises them heaven and earth. (And those that fall in its trap and promises of wealth, popularity and glory if not delivered, end up losing their soul)
And there comes motivational speakers, false prophets who earn a living out of oratory trickery, just to get more followers and audiences- they come telling you that you can be anything (that they have not become themselves) and we believe them.
All that hypes us just like weed or cocaine and we find ourselves not doing what we were supposed to be doing naturally and before we realize it, we find that we have been deceived and sometimes find that our chances have all been blown away by ourselves.
You find people leaving their jobs without thinking through it thoroughly, calculating the cost and being ready for it, just because someone told them they can do it. You find someone say that they began their business with Rwf1000 and now it’s a multibillion company.
In as much as motivational speakers are to some extent true and have contributed to transformation, not all their stories are complete to give you a balanced story that you can base on to think about your next decisions. Be wise and think through everything, don’t skip the natural principle of growth because you want to make it in life.
And then there is this thing of followers on social media.
When most of us find ourselves with many followers, we feel like we have arrived. And that keeps us going, we even start calling ourselves motivational speakers (which is not bad because I believe we are all gifted) but when actually we lack in depth, maturity, content and originality (which are the real values needed by the society to benefit from you and not the photo or a copied message one has turned out to be theirs)
That hypes us and drives us into disobedience and we start even comparing ourselves against the anointed, the chosen and the sent. Just because we were able to attract a few likes to our messages. And then we run off without enough preparation and readiness.
As a result, you find someone who was destined for leadership, transforming the many and truly destined to some form of greatness, not only have they failed at their task but they also can’t lead themselves- because they skipped developing themselves along the way, they skipped the processes.
Let us all be reminded that no matter how gifted we are, no matter how sure we are of our abilities, no matter how few or many tell us how good we are and how willing they are to follow us, let us first follow God’s principle of discipleship, let us be taught, shown the way, learn how it is done, learn from those doing it on how they do it, learn what could have been done better.
Following that natural process will make us mature, not only in wisdom, experience and tactic but also in age. The time of serving others, a cause we never founded, an idea that is beautiful, allows us to grow in age and experience which naturally allows one wisdom, maturity in judgement resulting from experience, and much more.
The 12 disciples followed Jesus Christ in His ministry, and all the time, they were with him, they observed, they followed, they learnt, they grew, they understood many aspects, principles, name it. And by the time Jesus’ work was almost complete, they had been transformed and transfigured to carry on His works.
And when that time came, they just didn’t take up the work because He was gone, but He Himself laid hands on them and commissioned them to carry on the ministry. He knew what they had become and what they were composed of.
And we all know what the Disciples did or brought on earth right after the ascension of Jesus Christ to Heaven. The Redemptive Good news of Jesus Christ and Acts of compassion, which later on translated into Christianity and incredible social works that have transformed billions of societies all over the world. (Remember that most of the disciples even left what they were doing to simply follow Jesus Christ-and what they achieved is next to none)
Bend the knee (Humility), learn from the feet of those that came before you, those that have been anointed and consecrated into the roles they are serving. Believe you me that you will grow in wisdom, you will be respected, but most of all, you will be trusted and you will be blessed.
Any man who doesn’t follow or who is not loyal, doesn’t inspire loyalty and therefore doesn’t deserve to be followed.
Caleb and Joshua followed and served Moses and we all know what later on became of them, Elisha followed and served Elijah and we all know what became of Elisha, Squires in ancient kingdoms served knights, and most them turned out as knights themselves, Alter boys becoming priests, soldiers growing in military ranks, professionals becoming managers and rising to the top in the corporate world, youth and associate pastors becoming senior pastors and even church planters, a child later on becoming a heir to their father’s household, you can as well add on your example.
My friend, processes of growth and service can’t be skipped unless it’s Godly done, and when He does so, He ensures He equips you that you won’t lack what anyone who skips a process would lack.
My advice to all of us, most especially the young is that first follow and you will be followed. Follow, through serving and learning, don’t give in to the temptation of wanting to be followed at such a young age, it will make you proud (Remember Pride comes first of the seven deadly sins).
Just be easy, be cool and keep it low, your chances and opportunities will come because God surely created them with you on the day of your creation (they are not going anywhere), you will surely grow, serve and be that person you dream of becoming, no one will take away what was prepared for you but if you skip the natural processes that God prepared and wants you to go through, you will surely miss out those opportunities.
Learn from those around you, never cease from seeking advice, discern the times and detect when to act and not when to act, be wise. Remember that our future is seen through the eyes of God and our elders. At their backs we stand and see where we came from and equally see the MOUNTAIN TOP that we are headed to. If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants; Isaac Newton
BEFORE YOU TAKE OUT, LEARN TO TAKE IN ENOUGH AND EVERYDAY.
Seek an education, volunteer at any community group around you, read books, allow to be mentored, be respectful, be humble enough to know that you don’t know, seek knowledge and wisdom every day. Discover your Purpose, Honor God, Be humble, learn and Serve.
God Bless you!
The writer is a social commentator based in Kigali.