When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them. – Joshua 19:49

 Today's Scripture Reading (February 23, 2022): Joshua 19

Rudyard Kipling's "If" is a leadership lesson that I think we all need to learn. The first stanza simply says

If you can keep your head when all about you

                        Are losing theirs and blaming it on you

            If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you

                        But make allowance for their doubting too;

            If you can wait and not be tired by waiting

                        Or being lied about, don't deal in lies

            Or being hated, don't give way to hating

                        And yet look too good, or talk too wise:

I admit I have to remind myself of the words constantly. I don't particularly appreciate being blamed, hated, or lied about, but it seems to be a constant reality. There always seem to be those who want nothing more than to capitalize on my mistakes (and, unfortunately, I have made my share) and refuse to give real forgiveness. All they want is to make the offender pay.

But, if you will lead, these are the things that will happen and to which we must not react. And that is a hard lesson to learn. (The truth is that I am still trying.) So, Rudyard Kipling's poem continually draws me back into the truth that I need to hear. If you can keep your head … If you can trust yourself … If you can wait and be lied about … if you can ignore the hating. If you can realize that all that is going on is simply not about you, only then are you ready to lead.

Joshua seems to be all that Rudyard Kipling was speaking out in the poem and maybe more. He appeared to be able to keep his head, even amid things that refused to go his way. Joshua avoided the trap of having an inflated opinion of himself, which would have set him up for a fall. He trusted not just in himself but also in his connection with God. It gave him a confidence that no one else had. He kept his critics at bay, listening but never allowing the lies to shake him. And in the end, he was also humble enough to take care of everyone else before he received his own inheritance, taking hold of the things that were promised to him.

This is the mark of a true leader; they are willing to delay gratification of their desires in favor of those they serve.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Joshua 20