I want to talk candidly to those God is raising up as leaders.

There is much reward in watching God’s flowers grow. You’ll see so much beautiful blooming, restoration in hearts who’ve been long-suffering, and you’ll find great joy in helping along with sojourners with Jesus.

But let me gently warn you, too, that you’ll have some very difficult times.

Times when you’re ministering to broken hearts while you’re in the middle of your own breaking season.

There will be nights when you beg God to stop your own tears, so you can walk into a room, put your own suffering aside, and do what you are called to do.

The enemy will be a constant thorn in your side during this season, attempting to cause your own pain to be so overwhelming that you’ll simply quit.

Jesus will give you strength breath by breath.

When we look at Joseph, we see a man heartbroken. We, rarely, talk of his emotional heart bleeding, but it was there.

For years, he experienced mishandling, betrayals, false accusations, and those he helped forgetting him while still serving in the moments God ordained for him.

I can promise you that he often wept, grieved much, and asked a lot of “Why’s?”

How do I know this?

Because when he came face to face unexpectedly with his brothers who sold and betrayed him, he broke down in overwhelming anguish.

He likely had to try hard to put painful memories out of his mind to get through each day. I’m sure he was at times successful while at others, not so much.

But when we see the sudden God-ordained moment of a forced reunion, we see the grief come barreling out of Joseph’s heart.

When we look at David in the book of 1 Samuel, we see a distraught man being hunted by a former friend. He was confused and hurt and felt a saddened loss of such a cherished relationship. Yet, he was sent on the run and hiding in caves. However, the Lord sent others who needed a valiant leader.

A leader who can lead under pressure even when his own heart is throbbing.

If God is moving you into a leading role in His beautiful body, you will eventually face something similar whereby you must still lead while you still bleed.

It is never easy.

But it is necessary.

I’ve learned over some years that I must learn every lesson pain offers to me. In that, we become better leaders.

More compassionate. Stronger in heart. More resilient. More understanding. More patient.

Why? Because we know the journey others are on, intimately.

The worst possible scenario is walking through such seasons so focused on getting out of it that we never glean from it.

You’ll need a few safe people to call when you need to be prayed through.

But what you must never do…is stop leading.