What does it mean to lead from a place of weakness? The greatest spiritual leaders I’ve known didn’t rise through dominance. They led through surrender. Their lives were shaped—not by power, but by perseverance. Not by avoiding pain—but by walking through it with God.
Leading From Weakness
Leading from Weakness: When Love Looks Like Letting Go
“I’m not the kind of person who likes to be a burden,” she said.
The room grew still. Everyone knew it was true. Her life had been one long offering of presence, action, and reliability. She was the kind of person who shows up, who gets things done, who carries others.
But now?
Her body had changed. Cancer had drawn boundaries she never asked for. Her sense of usefulness—once worn like a badge of honor—felt like it was slipping through her fingers.
That’s when someone quietly asked, “Can you let yourself be useless?”
It wasn’t an insult. It was an invitation. Not to be useless, but to release the need to prove worth through doing. To trust that even in weakness, even when the contributions stop, love does not.
To let others carry her.
Because when we carry each other, we’re never truly useless— We’re simply held in a different way.
Reflection Questions
What part of me ties my identity to being “useful”?
How do I respond when I need more help than I can offer?
Who is carrying me in this season—and am I letting them?
If I am too weak to make things happen, how does that shift my view of others?
If others have more power—how do I respond to them?
The Counterintuitive Path
Suffering that Shapes
None of us wants our children to suffer.
But when we try too hard to shield them from every consequence, something vital gets lost. We see it in Scripture. We see it in our families. And if we’re honest, we’ve seen it in ourselves.
The Bible—and life—offer a sobering pattern: Entitlement ruins what hardship refines.
Take Solomon. Born into glory. Crowned in splendor. Given the kingdom, the gold, the wisdom. But he didn’t earn it through hardship. He inherited it. And entitlement crept in.
You see it in his many wives, his love of status, his slow drift into idolatry.
He was the wisest man on earth—but wisdom without suffering is often shallow.
Now look at his son, Rehoboam. Raised in luxury. Spiritually distant from the raw, worship-filled journey of his grandfather David. He came to power brittle and demanding, unable to hear the people’s cries. His arrogance shattered the kingdom.
Now contrast that with Joseph. Betrayed by his brothers. Sold into slavery. Thrown into prison. But he rose—not by force, but by faithfulness. God’s favor worked through a soul forged by hardship.
Or Daniel. Exiled in chains to Babylon. But through courage, obedience, and suffering, he became a prophetic voice whose influence spans generations.
And Jesus. Our Servant King. Though sinless, He embraced suffering to its fullest depth. He didn’t seize power—He laid it down. And in doing so, He became the most unstoppable leader in history.
I knew a father in Brazil who couldn’t bear to see his son suffer. He bailed him out of jail. Paid off his debts. Shielded him from consequences again and again. But the suffering that could have shaped the son was blocked by well-meaning love. The growth was delayed—and never came. He died in a rehab center, still unfinished, still unformed.
Sometimes love rescues. Other times, love lets go.
The Paradox of Influence
Power that isn’t surrendered becomes brittle. But surrendered weakness becomes indestructible.
Spiritually mature people don’t seek suffering. They don’t want their children to suffer. They live generously. They expect God’s presence and blessing.
But when life crashes in—when the story doesn’t go according to script—how do we respond?
That moment matters. Eternally. You can be sure God is watching.
Suffering has a way of dividing the road.
Some grow bitter. Others cynical. Some go numb and lose heart. But some… Some grow strong.
Their feet find the rock. They develop a kind of unstoppable influence—a quiet strength that leaks out of them without effort, without agenda. It just is.
Like Job. He did everything right. He never got his answer. But in the midst of the chaotic storm, Job met God (Job 38:1). And he was changed.
Sometimes that’s the whole point.
What Makes Influence Truly Unstoppable?
“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” — Romans 5:3–4
We don’t seek pain. But we also don’t resist the growth that sometimes comes only through fire.
Jesus said the meek will inherit the earth—not the entitled, not the bitter, not the proud.
Meekness is not weakness. It’s strength under control. It’s trust that endures. It’s what makes some leaders unstoppable.
“Power that isn’t surrendered becomes brittle. But surrendered weakness becomes indestructible.”
Because their influence doesn’t come from titles, budgets, or charisma—it flows from something deeper. From presence. From walking with God. From calibrating their values in the secret furnace of pain.
A Personal Prayer
This isn’t theory for me. It’s daily practice. I often wake up feeling heavy—burdened by concerns, regrets, or anxiety. But I catch myself. I breathe. And then I pray…
“Thank You, Lord, for everything that’s going to happen today. For everyone I will meet. For every word I will speak. May I reflect You. May I walk in step with You. May I be Your servant leader in a broken world.”
And everything shifts. I settle in to life as it should be.
Sometimes I’m just sitting on the couch in the evening, and I realize—my hands are clenched.
I didn’t even know I was tense. I consciously relax them. Unclench my jaw. Soften my eyes and forehead. And I pray the prayer again.
But every day can be sacred.
Even the hard ones.
Deanna’s Journey to Healing
Superheroes and Wigs “Even in the fight, joy breaks through. Thank you to a friend in Marabá who created this superhero drawing.
We received good news this week: the bone scan came back clear! That means all the initial tests—checking whether the cancer had spread beyond the lymph nodes—have come back clear as well. We are deeply grateful.
Please keep praying.
The doctors have now requested additional CT scans to compare with the ones taken earlier in Brazil. These will help clarify the picture moving forward.
This past Thursday, Deanna received her second chemotherapy infusion. She is now on the second of six rounds. One step at a time.
Even here—in the chemo chair, in the scan room—we are learning what it means to walk in surrendered strength.
We’re encouraged. We’re also aware that this road is long and layered. Thank you for walking it with us.
“One step at a time. Karin Field’s painting arrived the same day as chemo. Beauty and courage together in one frame. Thank you, Karin! This is the Abbotsford Hospital chemo wing. The nurse connects the medicine to a port buried under Deanna’s skin, and then it’s time to relax for a few hours.
