This was the overall message that Former Attorney General John Ashcroft gave Monday night at the Youth for Christ dinner in his speech on leadership. He reminded us that true leaders do not mandate or impose their ideas on a population but that they inspire them to achieve and to focus on what is the right, what is noble.
That is a pretty lofty goal and heavy burden for leaders to take on, but it is also a necessary one. Mr. Ashcroft came to speak that night to inspire 1,500 people to become active leaders in their communities and within the lives of youth. He came to inspire people not to just be good and do what is right, but to fulfill their God given purpose to proclaim the truths of Jesus Christ; to give hope to the hopeless, love to the unloved and a future to all.
John Ashcroft’s dad died shortly after he took his office as a US Senator in 1995. The morning of his swearing in their family met to pray over John; which was their custom before each oath of office he has taken as an anointing. His dad struggled to get up out of the couch he was sitting in and John told him that he didn’t have to get up to pray over him. His father responded, “I’m not trying to stand – I’m trying to kneel”. In that instance a father passed onto his son the truths of Scripture and values of Jesus Christ. He gave his son the opportunity to meet him knee to knee rather than eye to eye or nose to nose.
When we enter into people’s lives knee to knee we show them the true compassion we have for their hearts. We show them the deep love we have for them as we enter into prayer for their souls, for their hope, for their future. Leaders inspire us by entering our lives to show us this hope. Where is your hope? Who is your inspiration? I pray it is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Posted by price at May 17, 2006 10:21 AM | TrackBack