Being just a few weeks away from the curtain call of the most unusual year of our lives could draw a sigh of relief in some and concern in others. If you find yourself struggling to rescue positives or finding victories to celebrate, you are probably not alone. A year marked by cancellations, restrictions, sudden changes, and emotional and financial crises is something most people would want to forget quickly. However, in my opinion, a good leader should evaluate and look for positives even if the circumstances make finding positive things like finding a needle in a haystack.
In the Bible, King Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, witnessed an enemy king sack his palace and took away the golden shields that his father hung on the walls. The golden shields were not just ornaments. They pointed to a golden age in Judah in which the kingdom was united, strong, and prosperous. Rehoboam had to respond to the new reality of a divided and vulnerable kingdom. 1 Kings 12:27 says, “King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace.” The young king adapted and hung shields with a less luxurious material (bronze) but useful for the nation’s times.
This brief story displays the kind of response that we are to have in times like the ones we live as leaders. A leader who adapts well celebrates the start of the new normalcy rather than laments the old normalcy’s loss. We must find ways to score the same victories we had before. Amid all the cancellations and shifting we have had to do, there is always room for the Lord to give us victories. Those victories might look different like the bronze shields in the story. Still, they are victories nonetheless, and they are worthy of being celebrated.
Though victories may be hard to find, we must celebrate what the Lord has done among us under the status quo because therein will lie our ability to inspire hope in others; to demonstrate faith in troubling times, and to remain expectant of what the Lord is yet to accomplish. The next few weeks are a time to reflect, celebrate, and hope so that we can achieve great things with the help of our faithful God in the coming year.
