Pains…

Most possibly, the pains we face daily can be physical & psychological (emotional, mental) from illnesses or from psychological stresses.

But experts console us that reasonable psychological stress in life is a positive reality that triggers action in  man(and woman).

We are told that when we remain in comfort zones, we are often avoiding the mental pain of facing our realities..

Yet for critical thinkers, the reality that we are avoiding acknowledging the fact that we are lying dormant in comfort zones can be equally or be even more painful.

And, when we eventually face the realities that we have to stand up, decide and act we see effort, hope, determination and finally fruition & satisfaction /joy from the efforts undertaken.

Whereas physical pain from injury,  illnesses (infections) & other bodily harm is easily identifiable and often motivates the search for immediate attention through medication, psychological pains are not be very easily identifiable and could linger in a person’s  mind and soul for years leading to at times not easily identifiable complications including mental distress and even depression among other complications.

As earlier mentioned, some of these forms of unseen and indescribable pains are only known to the concerned parties alone as the mantra, “it is the wearer of the shoe who really knows where the shoe pinches,” clearly tells.

I guess leaders, whether at government, society, community or family levels could be the ones facing such types of not readily identifiable pains.

Government leaders at regional or national levels are expected to meet diverse needs and expectations of many people and at times just guess as to what the expectations are or could be.

 Even if they were to meet expectations of the majority, the minority population will still complain and this can still cause distress to the leaders.

At the community and family levels, such dilemmas still persist given that family and community needs and expectations are equally diverse and those community or family members not satisfied may still complain and even cause divisions, hatred and bitterness which will also distress the leaders in such situations.

Family leaders who may assume the role of their parents (by default) given their age seniority in birth order or due to other factors, may also face considerable distress from diverse expectations and views of their siblings.

Some of such family leaders, who may be newly initiated into leadership following demise of parents and majority of their elderly relatives, may have to lead through guess work and trial & error methods.

Some may often make decisions as guess work of what their parents would have done or preferred had they (the parents) been alive.

Of course guided by the best interests of the families, such leaders definitely face opposition from their other siblings some with ulterior motives or others who are just utterly selfish, jealousy, or who hold prior hatred & grudges or others who just get misguided by peer pressure or wrong advice from peers/friends or even siblings  who choose to be just difficult for no apparent reasons.

Despite the distress that such leaders, at the various levels face, somehow they still persist up to certain levels when the “burdens break the camels’ backs”.

Such leaders’ efforts, persistence, and even determination are explained by the fact that such leadership is mainly driven by, and about, passion and a calling from God.

When God almighty calls people or gives them leadership responsibilities or even anoints them, the leaders get the strength & grace to fight on until their appointed  leadership tenures end.

Evidently, God’s strength & anointing sustains leaders up to certain levels and according to His divine plans for the different leaders.

In my view, it is evident that the leadership ‘anointing’ makes the leadership journeys (with pains and challenges, and with triumphs at times), bearable; the leaders can thrive and learn and lead until when their tenures end.