Whether you think of yourself as a leader or not, every day you have an opportunity to do so. In fact, many.
Today you’ll likely encounter dozens of people. Some you will have casual interactions with—the server at the restaurant, the receptionist, the person who calls you to remind you of an upcoming appointment. Others will be more engaged—your workmates, a lunch mate, your spouse or kids.
In every interaction, though, there’s one question you can ask yourself to inspire and lead others: In what ways can I help them be more creative or redemptive?
All of us need help in these two areas. That’s because we’re all made in the image of God and intended to do what He does. And from my simplified reading of the Bible He does two things: creating and redeeming. From the Bible’s first chapter to its last, it describes a God who creates. And it describes a God who redeems. (That seemingly archaic word simply means to reclaim something from the power of another. To redeem, then, is to offer relief from an entrapment of some kind.)
Ask yourself how you might inspire someone to be more creative, for instance, and you might decide to:
- Comment on something remarkable they’ve done
- Ask about their dreams and hopes for the future
- Connect them to people who are like-minded
- Recommend their work to another
- Suggest an inspiring book for them to read
- Tell them that their energy or creativity (or whatever) inspires you in some way
Ask yourself the ways you can offer relief and you might:
- Genuinely express interest in them as a person
- Offer a time to listen without judgment while they process their situation out loud
- Be transparent about your own challenges
- Refer them to another that might be helpful to them
- Suggest ways you might help when they’re overwhelmed
- Offer to pray for them
Every epic story has elements of both creation and redemption. That’s no less true of the epic stories being written in the dozens of people you’ll meet today. And your willingness to ask the question will help shape their story by inspiring them to be more creative or redemptive.
So, go ahead, ask. Then do what He does. You were made to lead like that.
What are other ways you’ve inspired and lead another to be more creative or to find relief?
