What Is Our Children Learning From Our Leaders?

 

In general, the role of a leader is to coach, guide, and inspire others. They motivate teams through challenging times and guide individuals through their career progressions. A leader manages individuals to keep teams aligned and working toward shared goals. They foster a collaborative culture and lead by example.

When I Googled for a definition of leadership, the answer above appeared as one of my choices. The last three words in the description caught my attention, "lead by example," which is why I am writing this post. As an educator, I am genuinely concerned about the examples set for our children. I see children every day exhibiting the same behaviors as some of our leaders on the national, state, and local levels, and quite frankly, there is not much that I can say to them because they are mimicking what they see in the news from people who have the title of leader. Just this week alone, while scrolling through a couple of news apps, I saw stories of city council members threatening each other and nearly getting into a physical altercation. In fact, the city councilman who had left his seat and towered over one of his council colleagues shoved a police officer trying to intervene. In another story from a different city, a city councilwoman's husband and son entered into a physical altercation with a citizen who had made commentary during the public portion of the meeting about his wife, the councilwoman. Not to mention the circus surrounding the twice impeached and four-time indicted former 45th president of the United States.

I have students who refuse to take accountability for their actions, just like the leaders in the news before them. I have students who believe the only way to solve an issue is by fighting or physical altercations, just like the leaders who are in the news before them. I have students who believe that being verbally abusive is the way to solve a conflict, just like the leaders in the news before them. I have students who believe cheating, lying, and stealing are okay, just like the leaders in the news before them. 

The definition above states that leaders are to lead by example. Leaders are supposed to set an example for those whom they lead. Set an example for those who follow them. What type of example are our leaders setting for our children and our adults, for that matter? 

As I pursue my fourth academic degree focusing on leadership and social justice, examples such as those mentioned above are not good. I am studying all leadership styles, and none involve physical fighting, cheating, lying, being verbally abusive, stealing, etc., as part of any leadership characteristics. 

In most instances when we experience leaders who are leading in the opposite direction of morals and ethics, they are usually looking out for their own self-interests, and their followers/people are pawns who are being used by these types of leaders to further their own agenda and not really what is in the best interest of the people. Think about it: the chart above shows charges against the most powerful person in the free world. This individual was actually leading the country. Sadly, there are still a lot of people who are OK with this corruption and continue to support it. In fact, many would like for this individual to lead the country again. Who have we become? To heck with morals and ethics, let hatred, greed, and self-centeredness abide.  

Our children will be the biggest losers when all is said and done. They are growing up thinking that one can treat people any old kind of way and get away with it. They are growing up normalizing abusive behavior based on what they see our so-called leaders doing. Why should our children feel they need to be held accountable when the adults around them do not take accountability for their actions? 

Leadership is not what I read about or witnessed in the news or social media this week. Let me rephrase that it is leadership, bad leadership. Terrible leadership. 

 

 

Betrayed and He Had Done Nothing Wrong

Luke 22:3-4
3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus.

Matthew 21:8-11
8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Matthew 27:21-23
21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. 22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” 23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

Put yourself in Jesus’ tunic and sandals for minute….. All He did during his time on earth was to do what was right; do what was good, teach, heal, perform miracles, uplift people and make life better for others. And yet, He finds himself betrayed after having done nothing wrong. He was imprisoned unjustly and some of the same folks who were shouting “Hosanna to the Son of David” in Matthew 21 were now some of the same folks shouting “Crucify Him” in Matthew 27. Think about it; it was one of his Cabinet Members (Judas) who sold him out (cheaply I might add, only 30 pieces of silver??).

If you have ever suffered any type of betrayal, then you have an inkling of what Jesus must have felt as He was indeed human just like you and me. He felt the same emotions as we do depending upon what we are experiencing in life. Jesus wasn't just a godly person with great spiritual insights, nor was He only a great moral and spiritual teacher. He was more than these, because He was both fully human and fully divine. Think of it: God became a man, and that Man was Jesus Christ. As the Bible says, "God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him" (Colossians 1:19). Therefore, He could feel hurt, sadness, betrayal, happiness, gladness, excitement and any other emotions that we experience today. I don’t know about you, but I know what it feels like to be betrayed when you have done nothing wrong, so does the King family, the family of Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela and in some respects I can imagine the Kennedy family knows the feelings as well.

Now herein lies the difference between us and Jesus. His ability to truly and sincerely FORGIVE his betrayers. If we are following Christ for real; denying ourselves and developing ourselves, we must learn to let go and forgive our betrayers just like Jesus did. As his betrayers were dividing His garments and casting lots, Jesus was praying, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”  I don’t know about you; in all transparency, I am still trying to get there. Yes, I have needed to be forgiven and there are folks who have wronged me who I must forgive if I am going to follow Christ for real. I don’t think I’m the only one. So, as we go into this Lenten season, let us seek to forgive others as we need to also be forgiven.

Prayer:
Father forgive us because in some instances we know not what we are doing and help us to forgive others just as we have just asked for Your forgiveness. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. In the name of Jesus, Amen.