Who Are You Leading?

I’ve been incredibly privileged to have some great opportunities thrown my way over the years. One of them would easily be the chance my sisters and I were given to lead a kids’ program during family camps at the holiday centre we stayed at every Christmas. Aka Mapleton Kids’ Program.

For an hour and a half every morning, while their parents were otherwise occupied, we’d play games, do activities, run challenges and generally have a whole stack of fun with twenty or so school-aged kids.

It’s probably an acquired taste – no doubt there are many people who couldn’t think of anything worse than spending their holidays corralling a bunch of overactive kids who weren’t even related to them – but for me, it was pretty much a dream come true. I loved it.

I’ve also never felt the responsibility of leadership as strongly as when we were playing a particular game there one day.

We’d just finished a story and, to check if the kids had been listening or not, were playing a True and False game. Basically, the leader up the front said something about the story and, if it was true, the kids would run to one side of the room and, if it was false, to the other. Get it wrong, or take too long, and you were out until one child remained. Simple.

We only needed one person to ask the questions so the rest of us leaders joined in the game, mostly to help out the littlest kids but also, toward the end, to purposely choose the wrong side and ensure the kids were really listening.

The first question that day was so easy it was impossible to get wrong. Think something along the lines of ‘it’s daytime, true or false?’, when it was 9 in the morning and we’d all just come from breakfast. Not even the youngest kids needed our help on that one, so another leader and I (who were ‘playing’ the game) picked False.

Only we weren’t the only ones. Our littlest sister, who was probably five or six years old at the time – was standing beside us. Needless to say, I was shocked and slightly confused, especially since I knew she knew the right answer.

I’ll never forget what she said when I asked her why she’d chosen the wrong one. 

“I knew it was wrong, but you were both here and I trust you so I came.”

Oh. Talk about a hit to the heart.

It was just a silly game we were playing that day, but through it God taught me something I’ll never forget again. People are watching and, whether I’m purposely leading or not, they’re following and copying the choices I make.  

I knew the choice I made during that game was the wrong one. She knew it too. But she followed me all the same, because she trusted me to do the right thing.

No matter who you are, you have influence – whether it’s with your own kids, someone else’s kids, friends at school, younger siblings, workmates, or those you specifically lead. They are watching you and the decisions you make, even when you’re not aware. And they’re copying what you do.

So, who are you leading and what are you teaching them?