The biblical hero Nehemiah learned about a significant need. He was told that the wall surrounding the city of Jerusalem was in shambles, and the people were unable to protect themselves and prosper. So, he decided to rebuild the wall. (The Old Testament book of Nehemiah tells the story.)
Nehemiah became a great leader. If you want to become a leader, I recommend studying his life.
To become a leader, you need four things.
1. Character
You need character. This requires knowing what is true and good. Rejecting what is not. Loving the right things in the proper order. Taking God seriously and seeking his will for your life.
Developing character is hard work, but it is necessary if you want to live and lead well.
2. Vision
You need vision. An awareness of what is and could be. One way to gain vision is to read biographies. Pick up a biography about a leader and learn about their successes, failures, strengths, weaknesses, and how they learned from their mistakes.
Recommend reading about all kinds of leaders, including missionaries, Bible heroes, business leaders, scientists, pastors, and politicians.
3. Responsibility
You need responsibility. Leaders are not passive; they take action and are proactive. The Bible is full of leaders who took responsibility and did hard things because they saw what needed to be done.
4. Charisma
You need charisma. However, I do want to be careful here. Most people get charisma wrong. They think it requires appearing or sounding cool. They think it’s a kind of stage presence. They think it’s all about people skills, or always having the right thing to say. However, rightly understood, charisma is a God-given gift that can be developed with effort. It flows from conviction, love, and a genuine concern for the needs of those around you.
Leadership opportunities
While you are in middle school, I recommend looking for simple ways to serve. Start noticing needs. Start looking for ways to help people. Here are some ideas:
- Volunteer at a kids’ camp
- Learn how to teach younger kids something useful at a scouting or adventure camp
- If you know a subject well, help a younger student learn it
- Become a coach in a youth league
The better you become at identifying needs and helping others, the more likely you will become a leader.