Gingerbread Leaders

I’m sure you know the tale of the gingerbread man. He runs away from the woman who made him, and then from a string of other people and animals. As the chase unfolds, he yells, “Run, run, as fast as you can. You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man.” Eventually, his path is blocked by a river. A sly fox offers to give him a ride across, tricks the gingerbread man into standing on his nose to stay dry, and eats him. It occurs to me that many ministry leaders resemble the gingerbread man. –       The gingerbread man couldn’t wait to get away from the person who had shaped him. Each of us has one or more people that have played a significant role in our development. Do we still look to them for advice, or are we too busy or proud for that? –       The gingerbread man thought he could run forever. That might be possible in a fable, but not in real life. Unfortunately, too many ministry leaders are running at a pace that’s not sustainable. A key point in Bill Hybels’ ministry was his revelation that, “The pace at which I was doing the work of God was destroying God’s work in me.” Could that be said of you? –       The gingerbread man was completely unprepared for any obstacles. All of us will run into unexpected roadblocks and difficulties. The trouble isn’t the obstacles. The real trouble is our lack of margin to deal with them. –       The counsel of a wise friend could have saved the gingerbread man’s life. When was it ever a good idea to trust a fox? But the gingerbread man, like too many ministry leaders, didn’t have the accountability or forthright advice to warn him of the dangerous trap that he was walking into. Sure, it’s just a fable. But you might do well to reflect on these observations before you encounter a river and a sly fox. It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.]]>