Day in and day out, we rush about our busy lives trying to take care of business. Sadly, most of us are working to take care of “business” that provides the financial means to pay the bills.

Please do not misunderstand, providing for our families and the means to keep in good standing in our communities is necessary for the influence of our leadership as Christians.

Thinking about the early life of Jesus, however, raises an interesting thought about “taking care of business.” At the age of 12, Jesus was aware of the setting in the temple, and when his mother approached him about the situation, He asked her this question: “Did you not know that I had to be about My Father’s business” (Lk. 2:49 KJV).

Considering the focus of Jesus at this point in His life is a reminder to all of us about the “business” we need to be focused on…our Father’s business.

When we lead others with this in mind, it changes relationships. Let us always lead others with the Father’s business in mind.

“Failure may not be an option to some, but it is the spring board to success for others.” Rod Wilson

This quote carries significance when considering the fact that there are those who do everything in their power to avoid failure.

Sadly, when failure is experienced, it is debilitating. We can lose the ability to move forward and benefit from the experience. Worse still is the fact that failure creates such discouragement and we see no purpose in attempting to benefit from it.

Failure, however, becomes a spring board to success for us when we realize that failure reveals ways not to do something and allowing us to channel our focus on investing efforts into areas leading to success.

Approaching failure with this mindset changes how we establish a vision for the future and how we respond to the challenges we face in life.

The beauty of Christian leadership is based in helping others through times of failure with a vision of the success that God has prepared for the future. Here we find motivation to conquer the greatest of failures.

On a daily basis, it is fairly common to hear about or experience difficulties that often create discouragement in life.

During these times we find it tough to understand that these problems are temporary and that God has prepared something better for us.

We often lose sight of what is to come and only see what is presently before us. We fail to remember the words of Paul, when he said, “we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Co. 4:18).

Leading others through the difficulties of life is not an easy task, but the ability to provide assurance that “come-what-may” it really does get better than this. Keeping our focus on the eternal realm helps us remember there is something better we look forward to receiving.

Our God is great, worthy of our praise and trust.

“Let us press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).

How much value do we place on life: the lives of others and our own? From a leadership perspective, the answer to the question is measured in the way our time is spent.

Most are familiar with the expression that “life is not measured in the number of breaths we take, but in the moments that take our breath away.”

The idea expressed here involves value that is placed on the way we live. If we lose sight of what is most important, we can easily get caught up in what is referred to as the “tyranny of the urgent.”

As each second ticks by, we have no way of reversing the clock and going back to gather them up and use them again in a different way.

We are all given the same number of minutes in every hour of each day. How we use that time is determined by the value we place on it.

Take a moment to reflect and remember that as the seconds go by, they are gifts from God. Each one is valuable and worthy to be used influencing others for the Lord.

Writing about “alienation” as a leadership word may seem strange, but the idea expressed here is significant to our influence as leaders.

When someone is isolated from a group to which they belong, at least from a negative point of view, it is described as alienation.

Leaders have an opportunity to use their words and actions to influence others for the cause of Jesus, for the betterment of life, and growth in the kingdom.

When we use our words or actions for the purpose of proving a personal opinion or advancing our agenda, we can easily alienate the very ones we are trying to influence.

This is a dangerously thin line and one we need to be more thoughtful to before we speak or act. For if, in that moment, we lose our credibility and influence, two events occur: 1) a wall of defense is erected to the point we can never get over it, and 2) we drive the other person deeper into their belief or conviction.

The cause of Christ is too great to allow our carelessness to alienate someone from the greater good.

Life is complicated, or so it would seem. Just about the minute we feel like we have a good handle on it, something changes. Even when we spend hours setting goals, establishing the plans to meet the goals, and incorporating a structure to begin, there always seems to be that one area that throws the proverbial “curve ball.”

Leadership can be tricky. As complicated as life can be, when it involves the influence found in leading others, complexities increase.

The various phases of life from adolescence to adulthood introduce numerous opportunities to implement a structure that benefits everyone involved.

Providing structure is essential to understanding the nature in which all the components required to achieve the goal(s) are implemented.

This structure keeps everyone focused and actively participating in achievement.

When the right structure exists, both leaders and the organizations where they lead, are able to step into a realm where challenges are considered, obstacles are overcome, impossibilities are eliminated, and the measure of success is determined.

The work can be difficult, but when it is accomplished, everyone grows.