The prayer of a Christian leader

Don't let those who look to you in hope
Be discouraged by what happens to me,
Dear Lord! God of the armies!

Don't let those out looking for you
Come to a dead end by following me—
Please, dear God of Israel! - Psalm 69:6 (The Message)

David's plea is the prayer of many Christian leaders. It probably should be the prayer of many more. He basically says, "Don't let others stumble because of what I do."

There's a perception that when we become Christians we will always be shiny, happy people. Remember the old song, "I'm inright, outright, upright, downright happy all the time?" We teach that to our kids! Well, I don't know about you, but it's not always true for me. Unfortunately, that's sometimes what people expect from followers of Christ. God forbid you should have a bad day. God forbid you should have a problem in your marriage. God forbid you should suffer from depression, or anxiety, or make a poor decision, or do anything that proves you're not perfect.

Leaders, you are under a lot of scrutiny. Christian leaders are watched especially intently. Some people look to them for examples, others look for them to make mistakes so they can revel in them. All of us who are passionate about helping people find their way back to God should make this our prayer..."Don't let those who look to you in hope be discouraged by what happens to me." Let's point people to Christ, not to our lives, as examples.