Information Related to "Too Young to Lead?"
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He
may well be the youngest leader the Bible records. In 2 Kings 11 it tells
the amazing story of a queen killing all the royal family to gain control
of the throne when her son, the king, died. Only one small infant was
secretly saved—Joash. And when he was only 7 years
old, he was pronounced king of Judah. Imagine it—leader of a whole nation
at the tender age of 7. The Bible tells us he did what was right in God's
eyes while he was young (2 Kings 12:1-2)—in contrast to many of
his ancestors.
Today leaders are everywhere. There are world, national
and local government leaders. There are moral leaders, school leaders,
classroom leaders, leaders of sports teams and even gang leaders. Who
are the leaders you look up to? We hope they're godly leaders. Who are
the leaders in your personal life? Do you think you could ever be like
them? What does it take to be a leader? Most positions of government
have age requirements, but is there a certain age you have to attain
before you can be a godly leader in daily life?
We tend to have some misconceptions about leaders, starting early in life. In school, peers who are leaders in the classroom are often the outspoken, funny, good-looking or charismatic type of people. The leaders on sports teams are usually among the most talented and, again, are often handsome or pretty. If we don't have those qualities (or don't think we have them), we tend to believe that we're not leaders and will probably never be one. Is this accurate?
It is true that in some situations certain talents or other skills are required. Would anyone on a basketball team think of taking direction from someone who has never played the sport and has no skill at all? Life, however, is much more than sports—or any other single aspect of life. And to be a leader in daily life does not require physical skill, beauty, charisma, an exceptional personality or even a set physical age. From God's perspective, all it requires is the ability to understand His way and the courage to live it.
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