We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8–9)
Anyone who steps into the arena of leadership must be prepared to pay a price. True leadership exacts a heavy toll on the whole person—and the more effective the leadership, the higher the price. The leader must soon face the fact that he will be the target of critical darts. Unpleasant though it may sound, you haven’t really led until you have become familiar with the stinging barbs of the critic. That implies one thing: good leaders must have thick skin.
Paul describes the life of frail human vessels: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:8–10 NASB 1995). Always is the key word in verse 10.
The marks of death are evident in the lives of God’s leaders because God wants to display the life of Jesus in us. God doesn’t declare abstract truth from the lips of an angel; He puts truth in real life. Then He brings that life before people, whether it is in business, a Bible class, a group of disciples, a growing Christian school, a mission organisation, or a church. He uses imperfect people to display the glory of God.
Carping critics typically look at situations from a human point of view—their walls, their plans, their comfort, their procedure, their arrangement. They don’t stop to think that they may be criticising God’s project. Let’s call this what it is: spiritual warfare. And battles of that sort are best fought from a kneeling position. When those sidewalk supervisors tried to disrupt construction of the Jerusalem wall, Nehemiah responded to the criticism in two significant ways.
First, he talked to God about the criticism. Take note of his unusual prayer in Nehemiah 4:4–5.
Nehemiah’s second response to criticism: He stayed on task. He persisted. I love what Nehemiah wrote in Nehemiah 4:6: “So we built the wall” (NASB). The words of criticism fell like rain, yet he continued on. I can just hear him. “Keep mixing the mortar and hand me another brick!”
Critics demoralise. Leaders encourage.
