Take charge!

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before Me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none."

Ezekiel 22:30

General Norman Schwarzkopf will always be remembered for his role in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Schwarzkopf is a "take-charge" sort of person who leaves no doubt as to who is in command. But he doesn’t believe that he was a born leader. "There is no such thing as a born leader," he says. "Most leaders are ordinary people who are thrust into positions of leadership and respond to the challenge."

When Schwarzkopf was a two-star general newly assigned at the Pentagon, he met his superior officer in the hall one morning. "I’m out of here," the man said, suitcase in hand. "What am I supposed to do while you are gone?" Schwarzkopf asked. His superior replied, "Rule 13."

Schwarzkopf ’s mind went blank. "What is Rule 13?" he asked himself. He knew he should know Rule 13, but he couldn’t remember. So he asked, "Excuse me, sir, but I don’t remember. What is Rule 13?" His boss replied, "When placed in command, take charge!" "Yes, sir," he replied. "But what do I do?"

And his boss answered, "Rule 14." Again Schwarzkopf’s mind went blank. Was this man playing games with him?

"What is Rule 14?" he asked reluctantly. "Do what’s right," said his boss. And he was gone.

Leadership, believes Schwarzkopf, is not bossing people, nor is it managing people. It is leading them, and he said, "The simple but most important thing in leadership is character."

Whenever there is a parade of two or more vehicles, there is utter confusion until someone decides who is to lead. So it is in a business, a platoon of soldiers, a church, a team on the basketball floor, or in a marriage. Somebody has to lead.

An old Arab proverb says, "An army of sheep led by a lion is more powerful than an army of lions led by a sheep." It is not only in warfare that leadership is important, it’s just as important in our families, our businesses, our churches and in life today.

Today we face a crisis of leadership. We need both Rules 13 and 14, and we need them desperately. Having no leadership in a family unit is as devastating as having a poor leader. Sometimes, by default, our kids end up leading the parade.

God’s plan is for husbands to be leaders–not dictators or bosses–but as loving husbands, as shepherds who care for their own. Remember Rule 13? "When placed in command, take charge." And balance that with Rule 14: "Do what’s right."

May God give us the courage to take charge and do right, regardless of the cost.

Resource Reading: Ezekiel 22