Living to Lead

I remember a time when I had just become an adult. I worked at a collection agency. I am a people person, outspoken, and gung-ho, this job was my cup of tea. I was good at it most of the time and received rather large bonuses from the payments I was able to convince people they just had to make. Then one day, a woman trying to explain why she couldn’t make a payment, while I tried telling her all things are possible, stopped me in my tracks.
She said,
    “Honey, you can’t be older than 20, you haven’t even lived yet.     You don’t know what the real world is like and you don’t know my circumstances and what life has handed me. You can’t even imagine, but I can not take care of this bill.”.

It wasn’t until this morning in reflecting, this memory came up and I understand now, exactly what she was saying. You have to live to lead.

I have been placed in several positions lately. Positions in which I am the helper. I have been leading everyone around me for as long as I can remember. Some of this is due to my character and some of this is due to circumstances, either way, It’s not easy for me to watch someone else be the boss. The first thing I had to do was recognize I was being put in these positions and that is was probably for a reason.

The primary reason, I am convinced, is my husband. While I have always sought his approval in everything, I was the primary decision maker, responsible for most things where our life was concerned, and honestly, I threw the biggest fit when I didn’t get my way so , I usually got my way. It made my life easier to have this illusion of control, and it made his life easier to not watch me throw a fit.

These things have changed. As we work through recovery programs, life turned upside down, I have learned, doing anything driven by self-will, won’t work. This is especially true when it comes to being a leader. As my husband gears up to head into the call of ministry he is answering, I gear up to learn and answer my call as his helpmate.

Genesis 2:18 KJV “And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him”
So am I still a leader? You betcha! God has given me a testimony and it is my responsibility to share it, to lead others to Christ by setting an example. To lead others.. it’s a responsibility, an honor, a privilege. Not a position and definitely not anything that should result in “power trips.” It is being humble, being honest, being grateful and being a help to this world so that we can meet our brothers and sisters in Christ in the home that God has waiting for us.

Matthew 28:18-20 KJV “And Jesus came and spake unto then, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, Amen”

Are you a helpmate for God and you spouse? Are you living to lead? Are you ready to leave Fingerprints?




A grateful believer in Christ,

~Johnna

Leave Fingerprints

I have had a blog for several years. It received some unexpected negative attention and ugly comments were directed at my kids. That didn’t work out very well for this momma. I was furious and heartbroken. I can’t imagine being mean to children.

After lots of prayers, I made the decision to not reopen my children’s blog to the public. Rather, I am launching a new one. This one, I hope, will carry messages to those that need to hear them, and will not have as many personal details regarding my children.

I was searching for ideas, for a name, for answers. I am also working on a book as well as publicly speaking. I felt that , like my previous blog, I wanted a uniform message.

One day, as I was browsing a social network site, I saw a post. It was from an amazing woman that I look up to and consider to be a “Titus 2” woman.

Titus 2:3-4 KJV “The aged women likewise, that they be in beahviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.”

This woman, I call Ganny, was present when I was a young girl. She was so fun, hanging in there for girl scout trips, adored her grandchildren that I attended  scouts with, and was available to any child that needed a hug. She left fingerprints on my life, as well as many others.

This woman is a great grandma now, and her great grandkids had came to visit. (They live out of state so visits are especially a treat to her). She was describing the aftermath once they had gone home. She had cleaned up, and was reflecting on the fact the visit was over. She had noticed little fingerprints on the screen door one of the kids had left behind, and mentioned she could still see out of the door so she may leave them. The responses to that from people, “Leave the fingerprints”.

It was with this story, the idea of “leave fingerprints” was born. It’s the name and the message of this brand new blog.

Are you a Proverbs 31 woman? Are you a Titus 2 woman? Have you studied those women? Are you ready to leave fingerprints?

A grateful believer in Christ
~Johnna