Information Related to "Too Young to Lead?"
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He
may well be the youngest leader the Bible records. In 2 Kings 11 it tells
the amazing story of a queen killing all the royal family to gain control
of the throne when her son, the king, died. Only one small infant was
secretly saved—Joash. And when he was only 7 years
old, he was pronounced king of Judah. Imagine it—leader of a whole nation
at the tender age of 7. The Bible tells us he did what was right in God's
eyes while he was young (2 Kings 12:1-2)—in contrast to many of
his ancestors.
Today leaders are everywhere. There are world, national
and local government leaders. There are moral leaders, school leaders,
classroom leaders, leaders of sports teams and even gang leaders. Who
are the leaders you look up to? We hope they're godly leaders. Who are
the leaders in your personal life? Do you think you could ever be like
them? What does it take to be a leader? Most positions of government
have age requirements, but is there a certain age you have to attain
before you can be a godly leader in daily life?
We tend to have some misconceptions about leaders, starting early in life. In school, peers who are leaders in the classroom are often the outspoken, funny, good-looking or charismatic type of people. The leaders on sports teams are usually among the most talented and, again, are often handsome or pretty. If we don't have those qualities (or don't think we have them), we tend to believe that we're not leaders and will probably never be one. Is this accurate?
It is true that in some situations certain talents or other skills are required. Would anyone on a basketball team think of taking direction from someone who has never played the sport and has no skill at all? Life, however, is much more than sports—or any other single aspect of life. And to be a leader in daily life does not require physical skill, beauty, charisma, an exceptional personality or even a set physical age. From God's perspective, all it requires is the ability to understand His way and the courage to live it.
Notice Jesus Christ's comment about some of the spiritual leaders in the first century. In Matthew 15:1 the scribes and Pharisees asked Him why His disciples didn't follow the traditions of the day in doing elaborate ceremonial hand washings before eating. Christ pointed out that their traditions sometimes contradicted God's laws. When the disciples pointed out that His answer angered the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said, "Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch" (Matthew 15:14). So from God's perspective, it's clear that not everyone who leads is leading in the right direction.
When His followers came to be taught by Him, Christ said they were the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). He went on to say that lights are not covered to hide their light, but put on a stand so the light will be visible (verse 15). Continuing, Jesus said by living the right way of life, we let our light shine—something that should eventually cause people to notice and give glory to God (verse 16). Paul elaborated on that thought in his letter to the church at Philippi, saying we should work to be blameless and harmless in the midst of a crooked world so we will shine as lights (Philippians 2:15).
There is no age limit in these instructions. In fact, the Bible records a number of examples of young people who lived up to those words and thereby became godly leaders. Timothy was encouraged to continue following the Holy Scriptures which he had known and followed since childhood (2 Timothy 3:14-15). He became an evangelist who led and taught many Christians in the early New Testament Church.
The Old Testament tells of many individuals who were good leaders from
an early age. David was the youngest of eight sons when he was ordained
king of Israel. Interestingly, the Hebrew for "youngest" in 1 Samuel 16:11
can also be translated as "smallest." So age and size do not matter in
God's eyes. He does not look on size or appearance like we humans do (1 Samuel 16:7).
The good king Josiah was only 8 when he began to reign (2 Kings 22) and he restored the right worship of God in the nation—despite the fact that his whole family, including his grandfather and father before him, was steeped in pagan worship and denounced as leading Judah farther into paganism.
I have always been inspired by the story of Daniel and his three friends who were taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. They were taken to Babylon along with other young men to be trained for service to the Babylonian king. Daniel 1 tells the story of how they withstood the pressures to just "go along" with the food they were given by the king's servants.
It was tough and required a lot of courage on their part. As far as they knew, they could have been killed for their request. They were determined, though, not to defile themselves with things they knew God didn't approve.
Consider that they were not important leaders at the time—they were captive slaves, basically. They did not give any outstanding public oratory in their request, but just tactfully brought it up to those who were over them. Yet they set a powerful example of leadership by doing what was right even when it was not popular or considered advantageous. I have no doubt that their courage and strength of character in doing what was right was a factor in the king's later decision to place them in high administrative positions of civil leadership.
What conclusions do we draw from these biblical examples? Are they only ancient stories resting forever in the pages of history? If not, what are some important lessons we can learn about being a leader that apply to us today?
Obviously we learn that to be a godly leader, one does not have to be very old. We also learn that positive direction from your family can certainly be helpful, but is not a requirement. A person can be a leader even with no family around to give support. Daniel and his friends were isolated, probably at the palace of the king, away from their family members (if they were still alive).
Sometimes we think of leadership as a vocal position. We might think of powerful, moving speeches that inspire followers and urge them on to new heights. We can erroneously conclude that if a person is not an outgoing, vivacious, engaging speaker, he or she cannot be a strong and influential leader. The story of Daniel and his friends shows that is not true. As we saw earlier in Matthew 5:16, Jesus focused on the actions of Christians as the quality that would cause people to notice leaders of the right way of life.
You may not be in a position to become a great political leader, but that doesn't mean you cannot lead—no matter what your age. And you, like many people, may be terrified of the thought of giving public speeches. Your family may or may not be a good influence on you in steering you toward the right choices in life. All of those factors are not prerequisites for being a leader. All it takes is the courage to do what is right, believing and trusting God to take care of you and ultimately reward you for making the right choices. If you have and use those qualities, you will be a godly leader regardless of your age. YU
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