Leaders Pursue A Purpose

The Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful and costly tombs ever built, but there is something fascinating about its beginnings.
Dr. James Dobson, in his book Coming Home, shares a fascinating insight into the Taj Mahal’s history.

 

“In 1629, when the favorite wife of Indian ruler Shah Jahan died, he ordered that a magnificent tomb be built as a memorial to her. The shah placed his wife’s casket in the middle of a parcel of land, and construction of the temple literally began around it. But several years into the venture, the Shah’s grief for his wife gave way to a passion for the project.

One day while he was surveying the sight, he reportedly stumbled over a wooden box, and he had some workers throw it out. It was months before he realized that his wife’s casket had been destroyed. The original purpose for the memorial became lost in the details of construction."[1]



 

Leaders may become so consumed with the end result that important steps along the way are overlooked. Leaders are most effective when they follow a distinct purpose laid out before them. They move in a specific direction, paying close attention to the steps along the way, towards reaching a specific goal.

It would be difficult to separate leadership from purpose. I cannot imagine leading without a clear sense of a God-given purpose. Perhaps that is why churches fail to do all that God has called them to do. There is no clear, defined vision from the leadership and clear mission for the people to accomplish.

 

Absorb

 

Are you leading with purpose?

Are you keeping that purpose before you?

Are you keeping that purpose before the people you are called to lead?

 

[1] Dr. James Dobson, Coming Home, Timeless Wisdom for Families (Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton: 1998), p. 122.