At training camp, I realized I have been struggling with pride issues. I felt like I needed to be a leader and if I wasn’t then it would somehow negate my worth. God broke my pride (and I’m so thankful He did!). I lead therapy groups at work and I was reminded of the importance of having someone who is on board and willing to follow. It struck me that I could (and should) be that person. It is impossible to lead a group if no one is willing to follow.
I was discussing this with my mom and she told me that being a Christian is about “followership.” It was a great way to think about this. When Jesus was on this earth, His preaching was radically different than what the world is used to, than what our nature tells us to do. Christ preached that “the first shall be last and the last shall be first.” I have tried to apply this principle in my life by letting someone go ahead of me in traffic or in line at the grocery store, but it must be much more than that. Jesus tells us in Mark 10:43, “Whoever wants to be greatest among you must become a servant.” Imagine a world where the means to getting ahead is putting others first. That is how Christ lived His life – that was the whole reason Christ lived a life at all!
What does it mean to be a follower and to practice followership? Being a follower implies a leader, and having a leader means allowing someone else to dictate how you are going to live. That is much more than simply believing that Jesus is Lord and that He died on the cross to save us from our sins. Being willing to follow Jesus and allowing Him to dictate your life is much more than belief, it is trust.
It has really been impressed upon me that I am to follow Christ, and that it is a privelege and a responsibility to follow Him. I looked up followership and found that it is the “willingness to cooperate in working towards the accomplishment of the group mission, to demonstrate a high degree of teamwork, and to build cohesion among the group” (Tomlinson). This takes a willing heart and someone who desires to put the needs of others ahead of themselves. This is working for the greater good of the team rather than for your own self interest. Extend that further, it is for the greater good of the body of Christ and to expand the body of Christ.
Along with followership is the notion of humility. I have been hearing sermon after sermon recently about the importance of humbling yourself and allowing the Lord to exalt you through that. It sounds easy in principle, but in practice it is a lot more difficult. I was speaking with my friend about this yesterday and the essence of living out your faith is how you respond to the small, seeminly mundane decisions. It’s when you fight against your nature to do what’s right even when you don’t want to. It’s when you deny your pride and humble yourself even though it is more painful to do that. I long to be that kind of Christian, and I am learning that I can only do that through the power of the Holy Spirit.
