The Leader of Christmas

"Uneasy is the head that lays the crown."

This might be a phrase a few people hear or even read. It's something that relates to the price of leadership.

It's already been quite some time that I skyrocketed my career from a lowly Oiler/Greaser back in February 2015 to a Mill Manager at present. Back then I was already content in that position without any plans of ever aspiring of achieving greater heights. The Lord had something different in mind though, He didn't want that I would remain in mediocrity -- when I was asked by my manager that time if I could do technical drawings, that was the start of an upwards path in the career. When my dad had a stroke that temporarily paralyzed his left body, I had to step up all the more for family to survive as the payout every month I received then was barely enough to care for parents or even give allowance to my younger brother. I resigned my supervisory role for a better opportunity, leaving behind what I thought would be the company I'd retire at. Changed court to sunny Cebu City in a managerial role already, also finished my masters degree in mechanical engineering (make your passion your profession). Sure, I could better provide for my fam then, however, when the pandemic began in 2019, the old family business (auto-supply store) run by my parents had to permanently close shop, leaving me with the burden of the sole breadwinner of the family. I started my career living paycheck to paycheck, & that lifestyle repeated during the pandemic. It was a tightrope balancing act for survival & I couldn't even return home via traversing the seas.

God wouldn't keep me that way, He threw me a bone -- scratch that -- He threw me a full-course meal: an opportunity to return to my same island of birth as I would say a homecourt advantage (Matthew 6:32). Though the workload would be simple, but then again, it's never easy. Oh boy, it never is. I am, however, grateful to be part of the turnaround that will occur in the coming months/years, we will press through amidst every single difficulty that arrives. I will be there to be the best I can be: for God, for family, for friends, for the department. Generally speaking, to those who would need me.

Time & time we have heard it:

"With great power comes great responsibility."

If you could do good things for other people, you have a moral obligation to do those things.

But who is this primary example of leadership that I earnestly want to emulate? That would be the Christ-God! A King -- Supreme Ruler -- yet He came to the world in the form of a Man, not a God, in order to relate with each one, commune with each one, & lead each one to life everlasting. A great sacrifice that is hard to do (John 3:16). Face it, we love comfort -- we hate stress, we hate certain people (and I know you have someone on mind right now), but that's what keeps us from being greater. What underlying condition do we have in our hearts that make us continue to be terrible people (Jeremiah 17:9)? Terrible in a sense that we are at our utmost pride (Proverbs 16:5)? I consider my current position as nothing when we come 6 feet under. 'Tis something of no value in the afterlife. What is of value? It's how we treat others & how we treat the work/talent entrusted to us. Question is do we have more in heaven than we have here? (Matthew 6:19-20)

This is the Christmas story where God the Father provided to us a Leader full of the Holy Spirit. Truly, a man worth imitating; even if we fail, that's not the end of it. We push on. We know what "mishap" His earthly ministry acquired, what the enemies of our souls thought that they had won with having the Son of God die, but it was for the better -- an exchange: He died for us, we live for Him. The wages of sin was death, but He was absolutely without sin, and we who are incapable of paying the wages of sin were made free from debt when Jesus took that from us (Romans 6:23). That, my dear reader, is the Leader I want to follow. We falter & fail, but it doesn't there as He will help us through it all. (Proverbs 24:16)

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

[Romans 12:12]

In a nutshell, that is my Captain, who will not leave a sinking ship without ensuring everyone else has got out.

This is the price of such leadership.

May the Father of Understanding guide us.

Merry Christmas, one & all!