Thursday, 21^st. August,2014- ( Bethel )- Malawi.

Today, we continued our reflection, deepening and sharing on Servant Leadership. Bro. Guido Sukarman, our facilitator had three papers on this topic. Interestingly, almost all these papers compared Servant Leadership with a gardener tending his garden carefully with love and dedication.

During the sharing which was usually towards the end of the of reflection of the day, a number of important aspects about leadership in our provinces came up. It was understood that to take care of the garden properly takes energy.. Moreover, leading brothers can be equally energy consuming. Many brothers expressed this fact and it is a reality among us.  For instance in  “ The Rule of Conduct for  Superiors,” Brother Bernardus writes even expresses it more strongly when he says that this can become a heavy cross and difficult  burden.

We ought to admit that experience has also shown that there are enough positive aspects we get from this garden. This is refreshing and should be nurtured. There are the sweet smelling roses, the wonderful variety of the flowers, the healthy plants and eventually the fruits that are harvested.

It was noted from the sharing that superiors ought to offer opportunities and enriching experiences to the other brothers. This serves to affirm them. This promotes trust of the brothers in you and they feel that they can share their problems. This is a very valuable aspect of our life as brothers.

In dealing with people and issues, it is necessary to look at the example of Jesus. How Jesus could have handled issues that came his way as a leader of a group.  Also, it is necessary to imagine how Jesus could have spoken if he were confronted with a similar situation. His main approach would have been to exercise love.  It was love that changed the world of Jesus.

Bro. Wim Luiten.