THIS PART OF MY LIFE IS CALLED... LEADING FROM WEAKNESS
Micah Smith
Today's Scripture: "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me... For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NIV
Theme: True leadership strength comes from acknowledging our weakness and depending on God's power, not our own capability.
LEADING WITHOUT A BLUEPRINT
Most of us are leaders in some area of our lives. Maybe it's at a job where we guide a team; maybe it's at home where we're responsible for leading a family or our kids; maybe it's caring for a loved one who can no longer care for themselves; or maybe it's coaching a youth sports team. No matter where you're leading, here's what most people don't tell you: leadership can be incredibly lonely.
As a father of two daughters, there's no blueprint for raising confident, well-adjusted kids who can make the world a better place. Every day I'm trying to navigate the ship, making little tweaks, hoping I'm setting them on a course to love God, love themselves, and love others. But honestly? Half the time I have no idea if I'm doing it right.
When my nine-year-old asks me something I don't know how to answer, or my six-year-old has a meltdown and nothing works, I'm reminded that I don't and won’t ever have all the answers. Yet they're looking to me for guidance and wisdom—even when I feel like I'm unprepared, just figuring it out as I go.
Here's what makes it more challenging: I'm still trying to figure out my own life—how to grow closer to God, reflect His love, and handle my own doubts. Yet I'm supposed to teach two little sponges how to navigate school challenges and develop healthy self-confidence? I'm leading from ongoing growth, not from having “arrived.”
CONFIDENT IN CALLING, NOT IN CAPABILITY
In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner is constantly projecting strength for his son, even while feeling completely overwhelmed himself. He's coming off a failed business venture, facing homelessness, competing for one job opening among twenty candidates, all while being the sole source of stability for his child. He doesn't have it all figured out, but he shows up anyway, because his calling as a father transcends his current capability as a provider.
This is the leadership paradox Paul describes in 2 Corinthians. God's strength isn't revealed through our competence—it's made perfect in our weakness. The apostle Paul, who planted churches across the Roman Empire, boasted about his weaknesses because that's where Christ's power showed up most clearly.
Again, I remind you: leadership can be incredibly lonely. You don't always know if you're making the right decisions. You often don't feel perfectly prepared. And yet humility, integrity, and the recognition that you can't—and don't have to—do it all on your own will take you further than pretending you have all the answers.
Make it Personal: Where in your life are you leading from a place of weakness right now? Maybe you're parenting a teenager and have no idea what you're doing. Maybe you're caring for aging parents, figuring it out as you go. Maybe you're in a new role, feeling overwhelmed. What would change if you stopped trying to lead from strength you don't have and started leading from dependence on strength that God does have?
Pray: Father, thank You that my leadership doesn't depend on my perfection but on Your power working through my weakness. Help me lead with humility, acknowledging what I don't know while trusting in what You do know. Give me wisdom for the decisions I need to make and peace about the outcomes I can't control. When I feel inadequate, remind me that You've chosen me for this season and this responsibility. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Read: 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, Psalm 121:1-2
Weekly Memory Verse: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9, ESV