Richard Blackaby

Does history make great leaders or do great leaders make history? Would Napoleon have attempted to conquer the world regardless of what age he lived in or was it the social tumult following the French Revolution that drove him to wage war throughout his adult life?

Times of national crisis sometimes give Americans the singular opportunity to rise to unprecedented levels of leadership. As a young man, John Adams complained: “I shall never shine, ‘til some animating occasion calls forth all my powers.” Before the Civil War, William Sherman experienced failure so routinely he exclaimed: “Every castle that I build is undermined and upset at the very moment I flatter myself of its completion, but the fact is I’m getting pretty well used to it.” Ulysses S. Grant’s biographer noted that he “was a perfect family man. Had peace prevailed he would have lived out his days as a slightly rumpled shopkeeper in the upper Mississippi valley, indistinguishable from his friends and neighbors.” History provided Abraham Lincoln the opportunity to draw upon his deep well of character to lead his nation through tumultuous times. Doris Kearns Goodwin observed: “Without the march of events that led to the Civil War, Lincoln still would have been a good man, but most likely would not have been publicly recognized as a great man. It was history that gave him the opportunity to manifest his greatness, providing the stage that allowed him to shape and transform our national life.”

Danger, recessions or calamities do not automatically morph mediocre leaders into great ones. But they do provide opportunities for stellar leadership. Men and women can draw upon all that God has built into their lives so they live and lead at heightened levels during urgent times. James Buchanan, Lincoln’s predecessor in the White House, was imminently qualified to lead the nation but he failed miserably and is considered one of America’s worst executives. History offered both men an enormous opportunity; only one rose to the occasion.

The writer of Ecclesiastes adved:“I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts” (Ecclesiastes 3:10-11). God has placed eternity in our hearts! We innately desire to live our lives in a way that impacts eternity but only God can enable us to do so. When God provides us with opportunities to impact our society, God’s kingdom and eternity, we ought to seize them. Ecclesiastes also observed: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). America is in a crucial season of its history. Some view these days with anxiety and despair. Others recognize unique opportunities to make significant contributions pivotal to God’s kingdom and to their country. The year 2010 could be a watershed in America. Are you prepared to seize the divine invitations that come your way? Or, will you be cowed by the disheartening news the media routinely spews upon you? After helping craft the Declaration of Independence, John Adams said: “When I consider the great events which are passed, and those greater which are rapidly advancing, and that I may have been instrumental of touching some springs and turning some wheels, which have had and will have such effects, I feel an awe upon my mind which is not easily described.” Carpe diem!