Statesmanship

There is plenty of material that is out there about leadership.  And, the concept is important.  The truth is, pretty much all of us are called to lead somebody else.  Jesus shared a core concept of being a good leader in Mark chapter 10:
43b ...whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.
44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

We can consider what type of example that we are setting for others - especially in this time of crisis, we can seek to exemplify who Jesus is and who He desires to be in us.  We can be strong in our convictions and solid in our compassion.  We can, like Jesus is, motivated by our love for our Heavenly Father and love for our neighbor.  In a time where so many need to know and see the comfort of the Lord, we can seek to walk in peace and to spread it.

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Timothy was a protege of the apostle Paul who was called to an extraordinary position of leadership,
to set an example for the early Church. Paul wrote to him in the book of 1st Timothy chapter 4:
10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
11 These things command and teach.
12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

The political gamesmanship that has characterized Washington throughout the years continues to be on full display: in order to get money appropriated for helping Americans during the Coronavirus crisis by sending them direct payments and to help small businesses continue to pay their employees, lawmakers were forced to agree to fund causes that had nothing to do with helping everyday Americans.  Now certain lawmakers are blocking efforts to extend relief for small businesses - the program has been so popular, the initial appropriation has been exhausted; more is needed...soon.

The idea of a political leader as a statesman or a stateswoman is seemingly becoming more of a foreign concept.  Tom Minnery, formerly of Focus on the Family, many years ago formed a Statesman Academy to help train leaders to operate in an evenhanded, compassionate, and just manner, rooted in Christian principles of good governance.

Tim Scott exemplifies that role of a Christian statesman.  He is the junior senator from South Carolina and the first African-American from his home state to serve in the U.S. Senate, according to a recent article at the Faithwire website, which states:

“From the foundation of this nation, to this pandemic,” Scott told Faithwire, “the one place we’ve always turned when the chips were down, when everything was going to be counted, we turned to the Lord, the author and the finisher of our faith.”

The 54-year-old lawmaker believes the timing of the release of his latest book, “Opportunity Knocks,” is more than a coincidence, as it chronicles his personal faith journey through numerous adversities not unlike the calamity we’re facing today.

He offered his faith perspective relative to Easter occurring during this pandemic:

“This is a time where the church might be empty, but the tomb is empty, too,” Scott said. “This is a time when our ministry no longer resides in a specific location but, like the Great Commission, our ministry goes throughout the community, and frankly, throughout the world.”

Scott was one of the lawmakers who championed the inclusion of churches and faith-based organizations in the $2 trillion CARES Act, ensuring they have access to loans and grants, should they need it during the pandemic.

The article also relates that Scott is concerned about the disproportionate affect of COVID-19 cases that are present in the African-American community, and was preparing at the time of the article to meet with Black leaders and the White House about ways to get information into the African-American community about the susceptibility to the Coronavirus in those communities.

Scott is also asking for prayer for affected residents of South Carolina in the wake of deadly tornadoes earlier in the week.  The Grabien website has a transcript of Sen. Scott's interview with Fox News: "So, there are several counties that have been negatively impacted. Just imagine, on top of the COVID-19, to have tornadoes come in and a devastating factor. Seneca, near Lindsey Graham’s home, one person died...So we certainly need your prayers. I’m thankful that our governor has been all hands on deck and we are targeting the relief in the necessary way. At the same time, we are balancing the COVID-19 virus and the outbreak."

Senator Scott can remind us that there is a Biblical model for leadership, comprised of a number of factors.  For the follower of Christ, we can strive to be guided by Biblical wisdom and motivated by compassion.  The Holy Spirit will fortify us in order to reflect the presence of Christ in us.

Regarding those in public office, they should be guided by the desire to do what is right and to seek to do what's best for their constituency.  That gets clouded, it seems, all too often.  In this next phase of reopening the country, our leaders need our prayers so that they would balance public health with trying to get life back to normal, always keeping in mind what is best for the people they serve, not attempting to win political games.  Because, unfortunately, politics can override good policy.  Political strategy can sometimes get in the way of governing efficiency.