Democratic Senator Al Franken is bustin’ skulls in D.C. according to Matt Sussman’s article, There’s Al Franken, Bustin’ Skulls Everywhere . From fellow Senator Joe Leiberman to White House Advisor David Axelrod, Franken has been generous when it comes to giving people a piece of his mind. But he’s not alone in his propensity for making rookie mistakes in his rookie year as a Senator.
Republican Senator Scott Brown stated that he has no regrets about posing for a nude centerfold in Cosmopolitan magazine some thirty plus years ago now. (Washington Post) OK, so I get it that you might be young and dumb and did something foolish, maybe even several things foolish, in your younger days. Remember not the sins of my youth oh Lord. Psalm 25:7 But now you’re a part of the top leadership of our country! You’re supposed to have matured and put away foolish things.
Far from the status of statesmen, I believe that a lack of humility is at the core of the less than desirable behavior of these two men.
Your Life:
To be effective in relationships and in leadership you, I, we must embrace what the scriptures teach us about humility. Bruce Winston in his excellent book Be a Leader for God’s Sake tells the story of his experience visiting his relative’s ranch for the first time as a boy. Around 5 AM he mounted a horse given to him to ride out to the fields to work with the men. As the rest of the men started out,
I kicked this big mare in the ribs to get her going. The mare, upon being kicked, turned her head and looked at me with a look that was of pure disgust and disdain! The mare snorted a bit and turned her head back to watch the other horses and riders head down the dirt roadway. Thinking that all I needed to do was to establish authority I once again kicked the big mare in the sides and gave the old cowboy shout: “Giddy-up.” The mare turned and looked at me with contempt in her eyes and tried to bite my left leg. I quickly remembered that this was an animal that could throw me off her back and trounce me into the dirt if she really wanted to. But fortunately for me, she had decided not to do so and was allowing me to get my self-directed efforts for control out of my system. It was clear that the horse was the stronger of the two of us and that she had controlled her discipline, thus sparing me a trouncing that I probably deserved.
As I relaxed my hold on the reins I quietly told the mare that I was sorry and that she could do what she wanted, the mare nodded her head, snorted, and started off down the road toward the other horses. I don’t think she understood my words, but she must have understood the change in my attitude or position in the saddle, since communication obviously happened. Her gait was a bit fast and uncomfortable, but we soon caught up with the rest of the riders and she settled down into a relaxed pace.
With great power comes great responsibility. Humility and restraint are key ingredients to great leadership.
Moses was one of the greatest leaders the planet has ever seen. Moses confronted Pharaoh more than ten times. He was successfully used by God to deliver his people from slavery. He instituted God’s government system. He lead the Jewish people through the transition from a group of slaves to a great nation. And then he led that nation into the promised land. Two of the key qualities that enabled Moses to be used by God in such a profound way were his self control and his humility. The Bible says that,
Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.
Numbers 12:3
Franken and Brown would do well to learn from Moses’ example.
And they could also learn a thing or two from that big mare.
