“The only bird that dares to peck an eagle is the crow. The crow sits on the eagle’s back and bites its neck. The eagle does not respond or fight with the crow; it does not spend time or energy on the crow. Instead, it opens its wings and rises higher in the heavens. The higher the flight, the harder it is for the crow to breathe, and eventually, the crow falls off due to a lack of oxygen. Learn from the eagle, and don’t fight the crows; keep ascending. They might be along for the ride, but they’ll soon fall off. Do not allow yourself to succumb to the distractions; keep your focus on the things above and continue rising!”
– Source Unknown
As a leader, I often feel like I care too much about what other people think and feel. On my good days, I believe it’s because I deeply care about people and want them to be fulfilled, content, and joyful. On other days, I think it’s because I am self-focused and want people to like me.
However, one of the advantages of getting older is realizing that people, even critical or destructive people, only have so much ability to do you harm. Ultimately, the Lord is our shield! (See Psalm 28:7.) And most of the things that bother me so much now will have very little significance in heaven, which is now not that far away for me.
I also believe that far fewer people are actually seeking to do me harm than I might believe. Many people are just wounded and often don’t really think about how their actions or words affect others. A wise person once told me, “We always worry about what people think about us—when the reality is, they really don’t think about us much at all!”
If I could do life over again, I would ask the Lord every day to help me care more about the spiritual welfare of people around me and less about what people think of me.
Two of our deepest held values at Life Action are humility and compassion. We hold tightly to these because they embody our Lord (Philippians 2:5-10; Matthew 9:36; 15:32). What if we, as leaders, focused on others in a spirit of humility and compassion rather than suspicion and self-protection?
Fly like an eagle in the weeks ahead! And don’t worry so much about the crows. We stand with you, and if you need a fresh wind, know that God has used Life Action to pray for and serve pastors and leaders for over fifty years.
“They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”
(Isaiah 41:31 ESV)