Learning To Lead Is A Stretch (Guest Post by @JoshuaWRivers)
Today, I have the privilege of presenting guest blogger Joshua Rivers. Joshua is a blogger, podcaster, and author. He recently released a new book about Joshua (from the Bible). In his post, Joshua (Rivers) shares some thoughts about how Joshua (from the Bible) was stretched to become a better leader. Enjoy the post. At the end, I’ll tell you how you can enter to win a FREE Kindle copy of Joshua’s (Rivers) book, Leave Nothing Undone: 13 Key Lessons from the Life of Joshua
Learning To Lead Is A Stretch
The Bible is full of examples of people who grew spiritually. The greatest examples of these, I believe, are the ones that showed the struggles that they went through. One example I love is Joshua.
When Joshua was introduced in Exodus, he was given the responsibility of leading the children of Israel into battle. The Bible gives no indication as to what his credentials were prior to this time, but my belief is that he must have been the slave to a military leader in Egypt – a military leader that became a point of reference for years to come. So, how did this slave become one of the greatest military leaders in history?
1. Joshua had to stretch himself to grow and reach his potential.
We know that God had much more planned for Joshua, and, at some point, Joshua had to realize that potential as well.
Growing up as a slave, and the fact that his ancestors had been slaves for hundreds of years, would have given the average person little to no hope of a future beyond slavery. Joshua apparently had a more positive outlook. He worked at applying himself, even in a difficult situation. Perhaps he looked at the example of Joseph, who happened to be his great, great, great-grandfather – who went from slavery to second in command under Pharaoh.
2. Joshua had to stretch himself to learn patience.
Learning patience is hard. By definition, patience is the result of going through a difficult or trying situation without being irritated or annoyed. Surely as a slave, he experienced many times when this was tested.
But don’t forget the fact that he had to wander around the wilderness because of other people. Joshua was on fire for following God’s plan to march into the Promised Land, but the others (except for Caleb) cowered back in fear of the giants in Canaan. The result was that no one got to go into the land and claim their inheritance. Joshua had to wait for 40 years, and it wasn’t his fault.
3. Joshua had to stretch himself by learning the importance of prayer.
Joshua was generally a man of prayer, but there was a time that he failed to pray as he should have. As a result, he learned some very hard lessons. First, he failed to pray and ask God’s guidance when they came to Ai – and they lost the battle. After he finally went to God and gained the victory at Ai, men from Gibeon tricked the Israelites into signing a treaty. This led to an extra burden on Joshua and the Israelites.
It doesn’t matter if the situation seemed small or insignificant, Joshua learned that seeking God in prayer was vital to his growth and success.
Joshua grew into a great man of God and achieved such a level of success, that God made this statement about him: “he left nothing undone.” This statement led me to a study of his life and eventually to the writing of a book based on that phrase: “Leave Nothing Undone: 13 Key Lessons from the Life of Joshua
Joshua has also agreed to give away a copy of the kindle version of his eBook to a Stretched reader. Click on the Rafflecopter link below to enter.
How have you been stretched to become a better leader?