As Boris Johnson steps down as Prime Minister, writer Lauren Windle explores what God says a good leader and good leadership really looks like.
The thing about power is that, if you want it, you’re probably not the right person to have it. This goes for bouncers, managers, police officers and, of course, politicians.
If you’re ever in an alcoholics anonymous group and the person who is supposed to run the meeting doesn’t show up, there’s a rule that says the person who puts themselves forward to take charge should not be allowed to head up the meeting. Instead, the by-laws state that new leader should be put forward by another person in the room. Experience has taught them that power deserves to be in hands of the humble.
The UK is now without a Prime Minister. Today, Boris Johnson resigned as the country’s premier. This means there will be a Tory leadership election to determine the UK’s next head and in the meantime it’s likely that deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab will step up to the plate to keep things ticking over.
Experience has taught them that power deserves to be in hands of the humble.
If you’re here for an in-depth political commentary then I may have to disappoint you, but I can dig back through my mind palace to retrieve my learnings from the Public Affairs module of my journalism qualification. I got an A – thanks for asking. I can tell you that Conservative MPs will vote on who they want to lead the party. They will whittle it down to two people and then members of the Conversative Party will elect their favourite.
If you are either a Conservative MP or a member of the Conservative Party and you happen to be reading this, there’s great responsibility in your hands. I would urge you to remember that humility is a pivotal element of successful, God-centred leadership. Just look at what Jesus said in Matthew 20:26-28: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
True recognition of the power you wield and full submission to God and his will is the only way to manage influence well.
True recognition of the power you wield and full submission to God and his will is the only way to manage influence well. Without coming under God’s authority, there’s no protection from the corruption that consumes so many in power. That’s a lesson that all of us can apply to our (far smaller) spheres of influence too. We may not run a country, but we may run a team, a family, a church ministry or any number of other things, and we need God to be at the centre of it all.
As we reflect on what government, community and unity could look like for us after this uprooting of Parliament, I’ll leave you with Paul’s words to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 13:11: “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
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