Last year was one of the best years we have ever seen in our student ministry. Last year was also filled with challenge after challenge as we faced opposition. In my 15 years of serving teens I have never seen a year like last year. The spiritual and numerical growth were amazing. The challenges we had to work through were equally as painful. When God is using the team you lead to make a difference in the Kingdom of God you will face opposition and I can promise you will be amazed where it comes from and when it arrives. The challenge is to learn how to embrace opposition because it's in the middle of the opposition that God shapes us into the leaders He needs us to be. I know, opposition is never fun but learning to deal with it is drastically important as a leader. Here are four truths to remember when you're in the middle of a season of opposition…
- Loud Opposition Does Not Equal a Majority // Volume is not a good leadership indicator when facing opposition. Loud does not mean opposition is valid. Loud just means loud. Find ways to limit the noise in your head and the noise around you when facing the challenge.
- Needed Change Will Always Bring Opposition // Seriously, change of any kind will bring some level of opposition. People do not like change but they need it desperately. Change brings new life for every organization but it also ushers in seasons of opposition.
- Courage is Defined in Times of Opposition // In times of opposition courage has to be leveraged. A leader with little courage will always run from opposition and that's not really the kind of leaders you want on your team.
- There are always Lessons to Learn Through Opposition // Times of opposition are great times of learning. When you face it you will walk away with lessons learned the hard way. Also you can always learn lessons from those who are your opposition if you will take time to process their concerns.
- Jesus Said Opposition Would be a Normal Part of Our Lives // Every time we face opposition the tendency is to be surprised. We so often forget that Jesus said we would face opposition frequently. Jesus called it persecution. Jesus faced it and so will you in every leadership role you have for the rest of your life.
What have you learned as you have led through opposition?