What Happened in My Community When I Removed Fear From My Leadership

Realizing my leadership potential.

I clearly remember the Sunday I decided I would attend The Global Leadership Summit. I was sitting in church, and the guy up front was talking about the event. He said, “Lead where you are. Whether you lead a company, or you’re a pastor, or a mom raising kiddos, you are leading in one capacity or another.”

His words struck a strong chord. I realized even “just a mom” could attend and benefit from the experience. After all, I was a leader in my home, instilling growth, encouragement and life skills into my child. I too am a leader in that capacity! And I had never thought of it that way. So I gladly attended my first Summit, and it shook me to my core. I have since made the Summit a priority, missing only one year. I am forever indebted to the Summit for its impact on my life, the doors it has opened, and the person I continue to be molded into as a result of being a part of the Summit.

Overcoming fear.

One of my biggest takeaways was from my Summit experience in 2013 when one of the speakers quoted Joshua 1:9.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

The verse was structured around the topic of vision, not letting fear get in the way of great leadership, and the courage it takes to finish strong. This was a game changer for me. I suddenly realized I was living my life and making daily decisions and/or avoiding or giving up on things based on my fears and inadequacies. But now I no longer had a “free pass” to live that way. I could no longer accept “status quo,” or living life the “easy” way. No longer would my fears or inadequacies be an excuse, but instead, may be a reason to push forward.

God surprises me.

The most surprising thing God has taught me is never to underestimate what God can do in your life if you allow Him to lead. I have also learned never to underestimate my own potential in what God can do through me if I just trust Him. So many times, we try to put God in a box with limitations and God wants to bust out, and asks that we allow Him to be the artist in the tapestry of our life. God can write a much better story in our lives than we could ever script, and we must trust God’s story writing abilities.

I realized God was calling me into His story through my leadership with the Parent Teacher Association.

God tugs at my heart.

My prayer has always been that God’s love will permeate through my community. That Lockwood, Montana will be a unified community that comes to know Christ and love Him with everything they have.

When I started attending PTA meetings at my son’s school, there was a tug on my heart. The PTA was struggling to raise funds to get a playground back into our community. The need was real. Lockwood is a small community next to the largest city in Montana. It is a close-knit community, with a small town feel. But there were no good places for families to gather or kids to play. Our 20-year-old playground was in poor condition that had to be torn down due to liability and insurance issues.

I saw a need. There was a void in our community, and I knew changes needed to be made.

With the help of a good friend, who had done a lot of fundraising, we recognized the need to form a committee with the intention of getting the job done. Coming off my second Summit experience, I was ready to serve. I was ready to LEAD!

I had never done anything like this in my life and I knew the task would be daunting. So I prayed a lot about it, and God really worked on my heart. God revealed that this would be more than a community project facilitated by the PTA. It was much more than a playground to Him and He would use it for His glory.

The people aspect of the project ignited a passion in me, allowing me to commit almost two years of my life, and have fun while doing it! We formed a subcommittee within the PTA, and got to work bringing an all-inclusive play area to our community. What a joy and honor to be a part of it!

God uses the Summit to help me take a risk when we hit a wall.

A work in progress

Almost two years into the project, we were almost finished when our team hit a low I truly didn’t know if we could survive. Tensions and emotions were high, we were self-destructing, likely due to the stress/pressure and time away from our families the project required. It was beginning to take its toll on our team. I personally was at my lowest at this point, hurt and broken by some of the things that were going on and being said.

It was then God truly did something amazing. I went to the Summit and John Maxwell, one of the faculty members, asked, “As a leader, are you adding value to people? Or are you waiting for people to add value to you?” Later, he said, “People have uphill hopes, but have downhill habits.” This knocked me off my feet.

At that moment, I had a heart-breaking revelation and realized I had been putting myself above those on my team whom I loved dearly. I had been selfish, and had hurt people by my actions and it rocked me to the core. I was convicted. God later revealed a passage of love from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 as the way to approach our team. Now keep in mind, this was a risk in itself as this was not a Christian-sanctioned meeting, but a PTA subcommittee. However, through this passage, I witnessed God moving in a way that was humbling. I saw hearts soften. God used the Summit to turn our team around, add value to one another, and salvage many broken relationships. As a result, we were able to see our project through to completion.

The finished park!

When I most wanted to give up, crumble and let go, when I had lost sight of what true leadership meant, almost costing us everything, God showed up in a mighty way that makes me smile every time I think about it. There is no doubt in my mind God did something very special that day, as I witnessed the healing power of His word, truth and love.

Why I think you should attend the Summit this year.

Even if you don’t think the Summit is for you, give it a shot. God has a way of meeting us where we are and encouraging us through our fears. When we place our total trust in Him, forgetting our fears or “what-if’s,” I guarantee, He will do something amazing.

This conference will rock your world, challenge you to face the status quo, and give you the tools to make a difference, at whatever capacity you lead. Don’t let another year go by wondering if you should attend The Global Leadership Summit. LEAD WHERE YOU ARE today!