Are you able to be authentic and still demonstrate godly character? (124-1)

One valued quality of a leader is authenticity. Effective leaders who have the ongoing respect of their team are authentic—they will be very human and yet very godly at the same time. Read Job 31:1-40.

As you read chapter 31 and hear Job’s words of self-justification it may seem he went a little too far. Job feels all the emotions of a man who has endured great loss. He became angry, depressed, and anxious. In Chapter 31 Job declares his feelings openly. Yet at the same time Job never drifts from his strong character. His integrity remains consistent through everything. The moment it appears he will give up on God he affirms his promise to be faithful even when he doesn’t understand what is happening. Job pledges to maintain his integrity despite his circumstances. Job is able to display his humanness without violating his godliness.

Virtually every day authentic Christian leaders live out the duality of their godliness and humanness. For example, there was a time in the 1980s when I was out of work for two years. I continued to live by Biblical truths; I trusted God with my future; I believed our family would be ok, but for the first time in my life experienced what I later believed was clinical depression. Leaders need to be visionary yet we can’t see everything in the future so we trust God to lead us. We lead with confidence but cannot pretend to be in control of all elements of every situation. Leaders model humility and God inspired confidence at the same time. Leaders display human emotions while living a life anchored by steady trust in God. Authentic leaders demonstrate confidence that they can deal with tomorrow’s needs at the same time they acknowledge only God knows what tomorrow holds.

How are you doing with the balance? Have you gone too far toward leading from your human wisdom and strength or are you totally waiting for God to move in your situation when He has given you skills to change the situation and expects you to take action and trust Him? Are you able to be authentic with your team and still demonstrate godly character? Christian leaders seek the balance as they build relationship with their team.