Seven Lessons in Servant Leadership: Nehemiah
Lesson Seven
Humility and Gratitude
Reflection
A fascinating experiment was conducted by psychologist Paul Piff at the University of California Irvine (shout out to all my Irvinites!) in which strangers were invited in pairs to play Monopoly.* However, they were not informed that the game was rigged. By the flip of a coin, one player received twice as much money as their opponent to start the game. That same player was then permitted to roll two dice instead of one, causing them to move around the board twice as fast as their opponent, collecting $200 each time they passed go, while their opponents only collected $100. As one would imagine, the player with more resources to begin the game and the advantage of an extra dice gained more wealth as the game progressed. More importantly, a peculiar dynamic arose among those players. When asked why they had won at the end of the game, none of the players attributed their good fortune to luck. Instead, a common tendency was to attribute their success in the game to their ability.
It's easy to read about an experiment like this and imagine we would be the outlier or the anomaly. However, we all commit the same error at some point, if not in our material lives, perhaps in our spiritual lives. It's easy to mistake or confuse God’s grace for something resulting solely from our own actions or as something we deserve because of who we are. Yet, the word tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
Despite staunch opposition and the threat of violence, Nehemiah and his team of workers completed the repair of the wall and gate in just an astonishing fifty-two days. Nehemiah’s leadership was instrumental in completing the monumental task, and he could have easily taken credit for the success. Instead, he chose the path of humility and gratitude.
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. (Nehemiah 6:15-16)
Remember, many scholars believe Nehemiah to be the author of this book. Therefore, according to his own account, the accomplishment was not his own; rather, it was accomplished with the help of God. Furthermore, the resulting work was not only to fortify the city, but it also served as a visible representation of God’s work in the lives of those who serve Him.
Any servant leader who is truly invested will pour themselves into both their work and the people they serve out of a sense of responsibility for the welfare of the organization and the community. This is undoubtedly a good thing. When faced with a challenge, there is no greater feeling than galvanizing the team and unifying them to accomplish the task, especially when the success is visible and can be measured. However, as biblical servant leaders, we are reminded by Nehemiah’s example to lead with a heart of gratitude and humility and to share the victory with others giving glory to God. The rebuilt wall of Jerusalem served as a symbol of both Nehemiah’s outstanding leadership and God’s amazing grace.
As servant leaders, what story will your next accomplishment tell? What will it symbolize?
Thank you for taking this journey with me through a portion of the book of Nehemiah. I pray that this series of reflections has informed your leadership development and challenged you to look at leadership from a biblical perspective.
Yours in Christ,
Brad
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/does-wealth-rob-brain-compassion/618496/
