Love Learn Lead March 9, 2017

We have almost made it through another week, and many of us are already thinking about the weekend. But in the meantime, today, I am sharing a quote about love, who has surprisingly been my greatest mentor in self care, and a leadership tip that I have found to be crucial in the influential roles I have held. Here is today’s Love, Learn, Lead. Enjoy!

Love

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.

—Martin Luther King, Jr.

Learn

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

—Jesus (Matthew 11:28)

On Monday I shared that many of the voices for Self Love in our culture, don’t always send us the most helpful messages. What I didn’t share was who I’ve found is my greatest teacher in this area. You may be surprised to learn, it’s Jesus.

Growing up in a Christian home and developing my faith at a young age, I learned a lot about Him. Mostly, I remember hearing about Jesus serving others and ultimately sacrificing Himself for our sin. But it wasn’t until recently, that I realized that Jesus practiced self-care.

Last year, while preparing for a Bible study on Jesus’ life, all of these scriptures where he took the time to rest and pray, kept jumping out at me (Mark 1:35, Luke 9:18, Mark 6:31, etc.). Not only that, but there were times where people wanted Him to do things and He said, “No.” Jesus guarded His short time on earth so that He could accomplish all that He was called to do before dying on the cross. He took the time to rest and He set up healthy boundaries in His life and ministry.

So often, I have fallen into the temptation of believing that I am only enough if I am always working, always serving, and always available. But Jesus—who was not just a man, but was also God—took breaks. Jesus, who was undoubtedly more than enough, said, “No.” And He called His followers to do the same.

As I seek to learn from Him, and as I take time in prayer the way He did, I find I am much more able to be my best self in caring for others and in fulfilling my purposes on this earth. Jesus is not only the perfect model for loving others, He is also the ultimate example of what it looks like to love ourselves. By studying Jesus’ life—and even better, seeking to be in relationship with Him—we have the opportunity to have the ultimate teacher not only for self-care, but also in all of life.

Have you ever thought of Jesus as a self-care expert?

How could making time for rest help you right now?

Lead

Leadership Tip #5: Leaders Serve Others

If this sounds like an obvious tip, and you were serving long before you realized you were a leader, then you are further along in your leadership then you may realize. The point of leadership, at its core, is never about the leader. It is always about the group, organization, or community that you are leading. What does your group need? Where do they need to go? Where are you leading them? Should all be questions you ask yourself regularly. If you are not leading with the people of your organization in mind, you shouldn’t be leading at all.

If you are really young in your leadership, the best place to start is by serving right where you are. Discover how to serve your co-workers and boss in a way that is genuine and truly helpful. Volunteer in your community. All of these will ground you as a leader and prepare you for some of the most challenging tasks you will have when you find yourself at the top.