When Leading Looks Like Folding Chairs

At the school, we read the Bible together as a group every morning.
It’s often through the reading that something deeper opens and the conversations that follow help us walk it out in real life.

During our reading this morning, one simple sentence caught me off guard and hasn’t let go:

“In order to avoid conflict, just submit back.”

It’s not the kind of advice that grabs attention, but it stayed with me. At first it sounded like a call to just keep the peace, but it was more than that. It was about posture. Heart. Attitude.

Jesus said, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21) And He meant everyone. Not just leaders. Not just the people we already agree with. Everyone.

And honestly? That’s not easy. Especially when we feel like we know better, or we’ve been around longer, or we’re trying to protect people from making avoidable mistakes. But that’s not the kind of authority we’ve been given.

We haven’t been handed authority over each other — our authority is over spiritual things, not people.

That hit hard.

Because real leadership, the kind that looks like Jesus, doesn’t grasp for power. It picks up towels. It folds chairs. It washes dishes. It shows up for the small, behind-the-scenes stuff and doesn’t expect credit. We don’t ever stop serving. That’s the job. Whether we’re leading something big or doing the quiet work no one notices.

“If you want to lead, you have to be a slave to all.”

That’s what Jesus said. Not influencer. Not strategist. Not visionary. Slave to all.

And maybe the hardest part is doing it with the right heart. Not submitting while secretly resenting it. Not serving while waiting to be seen. But submitting because we trust Jesus enough to let go of needing to be in control.

God doesn’t speak to the ones whose eyes are on the world. He speaks to the ones who are looking at Him.

So today, I’m asking Him to help me do that — to stop and actually listen. To submit with peace. To serve without proving. To lead by going low.

That’s the kind of strength I want to grow into.