The People’s Good (Not Mine)

Maybe my favorite leader in the Bible is Nehemiah. One reason is what drove him. In Nehemiah 2:10 we’re told that he came to “promote the welfare of the Israelites.” And when he saw how bad things were for them, he was troubled to the point that it was noticeable.

I think too many leaders are driven to promote themselves, rather than the welfare of others. It’s why it took me so long to have a blog, and I still feel funny about it. It’s why I don’t do Twitter. Because self-promotion is a temptation for all of us, and I don’t want to fall into it. (This, by the way, is what my book publisher likes the least about me.)

There’s just something ugly about a person promoting themselves, or when they do things to make sure you notice how great they are, how famous, how widely they’re followed.

But there’s something beautiful about a person who pours himself out for others. About a person who’s dream is to help other people’s dreams come true. About a person who instead of walking over others to get to the top, lays down his life for the sake of the people she’s serving.

I don’t know that anyone would say that about me (yet), but man, that’s what I want.