“The mark of a true leader is when you get to a scary place, you stand. Instead of turning and running, you stand.”

—Lisa Harper

One of my favorite somewhat older movies, is About a Boy, with Hugh Grant. In it, Grant plays a self-absorbed bachelor, Will, who becomes a reluctant mentor to an awkward yet endearing teenage boy, named Marcus. If you’ve watched it, you know there is this unforgettable scene toward the end of the movie, where Will tries to save Marcus from the ultimate embarrassment—singing horribly in front of his entire school.

Hoping to cheer up his mother who struggles with depression, Marcus signs up to sing at the school talent show. Only, Marcus can’t sing. Finding this out, the day of the concert, Will rushes to his school. He runs into Marcus behind stage, with his tambourine, about ready to go on. Will begs him not to perform, only Marcus won’t be deterred. 

As Marcus heads out on stage, Will has a decision to make. He can walk away, and let Marcus face an unkind crowd and months of taunting after. Or, he can stand alongside Marcus in his most vulnerable state. 

Will decides to stand. 

He decides to walk out on stage with Marcus—and eventually out-shines him in the embarrassment category. He takes the focus off his young friend, saving Marcus’ reputation at school. 

For the first time in his life, Will is a leader.

As Lisa Harper says, Leaders stand when everything else in them, tells them to run. They don’t assume someone else will save the day. They don’t let their friends stand alone. And they don’t choose their own comfort over what they believe is right. Instead, they stand.

We see it when we look at the story of Rosa Parks, not giving up her seat on the bus that night. We hear it in the stories of those defending our Nation on the front lines. And believe it or not, if we looked for it, I believe we could find it in your story. In at least one situation in your life, I am sure you’ve had the opportunity to run, but instead you stood your ground.

In my life, I am learning that standing can look a variety of ways.There have been times when it has looked like standing on a literal stage. Other times where it has meant showing up in the emergency room for someone. And still others, where it has looked like quietly standing my ground and holding on to the truth about who I am and where I am going—rather than letting fear push me to quit. 

In all of our lives, we have moments where we can run or stand. More importantly, there are moments we need to stand—for ourselves, and for others. We just need to believe we will accomplish more by standing. We need to believe we can make a difference. It doesn’t matter if or when we’ve run in the past, we can stand today. It’s not a question of whether we are leaders or not. We are leaders, we just need to lead.

Where are you being called to stand?

When have you been tempted to run, but stood your ground?

 

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