Leading Women

If you are like me, and like most people (I assume that you are like me), then sometimes leading women can feel like herding cats. Not that I don’t like cats mind you, it’s just that getting a group of cats all going in the same direction at the same time can be a challenging prospect.  Women, too.

Sometimes during a meeting of the women I lead - exceptional, Jesus-loving, committed Christians all, I will turn to the woman next to me and meow. It helps.

Being a woman myself, I can say these things. Or meow these things. Oftentimes in our planning meetings, we get off subject. Often times we get so far off subject, I’m not even sure we’re on the same planet any more let alone the same topic.

Leading a group of women is a humbling experience. I have so much to learn. And yes, I am a leader. (Since you are reading this, so are you. Actually, as followers of Christ, we are all leaders. People are watching. They are paying attention to how we live, work, and respond all the time. All the time. Mostly when we aren’t aware of it.) It is a humbling experience to lead because I am aware that my desire to corral folks quickly and efficiently along the line I want us to proceed is a strong one but not always a Godly one. Everyone has something to offer. Some of the best decisions have come to our ministry through what I thought was an off-topic, tangential suggestion. To lead, requires me to keep my mouth shut and listen much more than I am “naturally” inclined to do. And pray. Pray all the time. But I have learned something else in these decades about leading.

To lead means to follow. Ta da! That’s it. Follow. When our lives are growing into Christ-likeness, we are attractive – like a magnet is attractive – and people will follow what and who we follow. Following Jesus is not an easy endeavor. It is costly. It is difficult. It causes us to allow the Holy Spirit to convict us of areas where we are not allowing His life to flow through us. And boy do we need His life to fill us and flow through us. Not only to lead a meeting, a mission, or a ministry but to get out of bed in the morning.

And His life is available to us. Every moment of every day, thank God. Follow Him. Listen to His voice. Lead humbly and gently and every so often, with a knowing smile in your heart, meow.