Recent reports of another spiritual leader’s failure are troubling; his attempts to bury his secrets only multiplied his sins with hypocrisy. I am concerned for his immature followers who may struggle to trust God when the man posing as His representative isn’t trustworthy. Integrity is essential for leaders of all kinds, but especially for us as Christians; we must be the same people both publicly and privately. You may not call yourself a spiritual leader, but you move others closer to or further from God —your children, your co-workers, your neighbors, your friends, or an entire church. How you walk teaches them either that the church is full of hypocrites or that it includes real people with real struggles who honestly face their sins and shortcomings and choose to grow more like Jesus by God’s grace.
I am not so naïve to think that we live out Christ’s example perfectly. I certainly haven’t! Leaders aren’t faultless, but we should be transparent. Taking responsibility for who we really are allows God and our followers to give us the grace to change.
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