Lead yourself first?

My initial reaction to this concept and the book with this title was more than a little over the top. I admit my frustration. The principle isn’t without merit. In fact, I would say it builds on the “first remove the log from your own eye” principle that Jesus taught. That being said, I believe my reaction was due to the proliferation of isolation and the “self” mentality.

Self-focused anything is a step in the wrong direction. Yes, I said it, despite the fact that I know what your mother might say about good self-care habits. (Let’s call them soul care from now on.) Okay, why?

We are not intended to live any part of our life in solitude. Iron cannot sharpen iron if you only have one piece of iron. Likewise, the things we do to care for our soul must be grounded in something other than ourselves and a self-centered ideology. We can read scripture alone, but how much more can we gain in wisdom and understanding under the influence of a sage or in a discussion with a group of peers. You can go to church on your own, but you can’t be the church without the fellowship of others.

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You don’t need to be self-disciplined, be disciplined, and lead others to do the same. You don’t need to be a self-starter, be a starter, and lead others to do the same. You don’t need to focus on self-care, instead just care. Care about your life, care about others and lead them to do the same. In all honesty in my opinion, you can’t really lead yourself. Be led, lead others, and then lead them to do the same.

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