For Jesus' Love 16 Leadership Traits

FOR JESUS’ LOVE 16

Leadership Traits

By

Dr. Gale A. Ragan-Reid (October 15, 2017)

“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” (St. John 21:15-17, King James Version [Christ’s charge to Peter]}

Greetings in the Holy Name of Jesus,

My sisters and brothers, in a world of duplication and replication---copying, in our quest or journey to speak out the least of where we are going with our thoughts---in our hearts and minds, I look to Christ Jesus to make the difference here. I spent a few moments in my early day watering mustard greens that are just about to change to the next stage of growth wherein they begin to look like what they are to become. I looked around to find that God had already planted other plants that resembled the mustard green---how it looks at the beginning of its growth process. This is life.

There are so many other plants that look like the mustard green in the beginning but as it grows further to look like what it will become the other plants do not change and continue to grow looking just like they looked in the beginning of their growth process. We see that this is easily how we are deceived and tricked about the human growth and development process casting down humans with low expectations because of who they look like in the beginning---not feeling like or even given to the thought process that they do change to look more like their Godly purpose. We just do not feel some humans can carry their load throughout life---loads of growth, in education and in maturity. I thought about Jesus carrying the heavy load of the cross up Calvary, needing help.

Was the man who was asked to help a black man? Oftentimes, it seems the black nations carry the loads of so many other nations then are left behind, cast off, cast out, destroyed or killed when the load becomes easy to carry---it is snatched away from them for the benefit of others who did not carry the heavy load. Folks of Christ Jesus,

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Is your load heavy? Is someone helping you to carry your heavy load? Recently in a news story, a 14 days old baby was found dead in a knapsack in the woods. The mother last saw the baby at the 5 AM feeding and at 10 AM the parents notified the authorities that the baby was missing.

Obviously, in hind sight we understand with better clarity that the mother was carrying a heavy load and she needed someone to help her. The grandfather who doted over the child how small she was did not know that he needed to take the baby to his home and care for the baby for the baby was in danger. Sometimes it is difficult to know—to see how heavy a load a person is carrying? For many times the person carrying the heavy load fought the reality of their circumstance---that the objections to their life were stronger than their ability to carry their load and fight the objections as the objections presented themselves each time---time and time again, so they do not speak out to ask for help, for they, too, like Jesus are falling down under the weight of the cross that they are carrying.

You know the old folks use to see when a person was crossed with change on the horizon and the old folks would ask, do you need help?, let me take that baby home with me so you and your husband can get some rest?, you can come by later once you get some rest---sort things out---get everyone use to the new beginning of life changing in everyone’s life, in your household. Some, who were not spiritual just called it a woman’s intuition but spiritual folks called it their seeing eye---the ability to see a person’s future---whatsoever was urgently revealed through a touch—anything of contact? The grandfather did not see to take the baby just to visit and to love the baby. However, the modeling of love that he showed for the baby did not stop the father from killing the baby, denying he killed the baby, placed the baby in a knapsack and took the baby to the woods. Later, the peace officer said, “It is sad.”