BOSS OR LEADER
I stood next to four men who were helping another man buy a computer for his wife.
The thoughtful gift giver questioned whether the wife would like certain features. A ‘helper’ piped up with a sarcastic tone – “Oh, yeah, well who is the boss in your house?”
“That’s right, I’m the boss! “ The others added their dittos, some turning with sarcastic looks to the female customers in the store; “Well, I’m the boss in my house.” “Yep, yep, the man is the boss, what he says goes. Get her this one.”
Is it any wonder the only other female in the store and I left in disgust without doing any business?
As I got back onto the highway, I felt the Lord get my attention, and begin to speak to me. “Did you hear those men in there?”
“Yes, Lord and I didn’t like it”
“Well, don’t get upset, did you ever hear Me say the man was the boss?”
“Well, Lord, you said the man was the leader.”
“That’s right. What is the difference between a leader and a boss?”
“Hmmmm….is there a difference, Lord?”
“You tell me.”
“Hmmmm….”
Well, my dear reader, what do YOU think? Please take time to ponder that question before going on…
I’ve met too many people who see themselves as authority and want to “lord it over” others. Actually too many don’t even know the meaning of ‘lording’.
Let us look at Jesus as the ultimate Lord for an example. He is the Shepherd who leads His flock.
When I first became aware of Jesus as Lord, I was getting pressured from the enemy to do some things I thought were doubtful. Not knowing where this feeling came from, I consulted a known Christian. She told me it was pretty safe in judging where a certain feeling was coming from by asking oneself if they thought they were ‘being led’ or ‘being driven’. “You see the enemy will ‘drive’ us. The Lord will ‘lead’ us.” I no longer felt pushed to buy a six-pack at 10 AM.
John 10:3-4: “He leads them out. He goes before them, the sheep follow Him for they know him.” Notice they follow him because they know him, not because they fear him. There is a difference. They know him as a gentle and wise love; not as boss. They are not driven, but they choose to follow.
“You can not teach what you do not know; you can not lead where you will not go.”
– anonymous
The New Testament reading in John is confirmed in the Old Testament: (Deut 9:3) “Therefore understand today that the Lord your God is He who goes over before you…”.
Are you being driven, or are you being led?
The devil is a hard taskmaster, he will drive and push.
The Lord is a gentleman, He leads.
Leading means just that, follow me if you will. Leaders always leave that option open. Bosses use a driving force. A leader takes responsibility for the mistakes made by those under him; a boss points the trail of blame downward.
Another example: To be the head and not the tail, means the head blazes the trail and makes the path easy for the tail to follow. If the head drives the tail, things are in reverse, remember that – ladies especially! I say that because, if the male is supposed to be the ‘authority’, it is the male who most often misuses that authority – remember that – men especially !
Want to be a good leader? Follow the Best Leader – Jesus who is known for leading in love, with the option not to follow always open. It’s called freedom of choice. “I give you this day a choice between a blessing and a curse” Deut. 11:26
So, are you a boss or a leader?
….and that was my lesson initiated in the computer shop!
If you are not bashful and wish to do something interesting to further the knowledge of the difference between boss and leader, go to a large public gathering with a clipboard to do a street survey. The responses will be either educational or surprising. The information I received doing it makes material for another column.
Look, Listen & Think 