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RELIGION
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Aesop: The frog, the log, the stork and the fork
CHURCH-COMMUNITY CONNECTION Pastor Ed Delph
Peoria Times Columnist
It seems like the whole world is like a simmering pan on a stove.
One wonders when it’s going to boil over. Everywhere I travel, many people feel used or even deceived by leaders or bureaucracies in every sector of society.
It reminds me of a story by comedian Jackie Mason.
“My grandfather always said, ‘Don’t watch your money; watch your health.’ So, while I was watching my health, someone stole my money. It was my grandfather.”
Aesop tells the story of the frogs who wanted a king. They annoyed Jupiter with their request until he finally tossed a log into the pond.
After that, the frogs were happy with their new leader for a while.
Soon, however, they discovered they could jump on their leader and run all over him. He offered no resistance and gave no response. Instead, he merely floated on the pond, a practice that finally exasperated the frogs who were sincere about wanting “strong leadership.”
So back to Jupiter they went, complaining about their log leader and appealing for much stronger administrative oversight. But, again, Jupiter was weary of the tiresome frogs, so he gave them a stork that stood tall above the group members. He certainly had the appearance of a leader.
The frogs were quite happy with the new situation. Their leader stalked around the pond, making impressive noises and attracting significant attention.
However, their joy turned to sorrow and then to panic when very soon the stork began eating his subjects. Do you see that? The “we want a king” frogs didn’t perish from their mistakes but by their mistakes. Lesson: Never be impressed by stork social media or a stork’s rhetoric; watch what they do.
Today, it seems some leaders have opted for a self-first, society-second way of leading. When that happens, personal character, truth and servanthood are often sacrificed at the altar of winning, controlling and staying in power.
That’s a bad sign.
Why? Absolute power eventually corrupts absolutely 99.9% of the time. It’s getting scary when the weatherperson is the closest to telling the truth on the news.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said, “Civilization is always in danger when those who have never learned how to obey are given the right to command.”
In other words, if you feel too big for little things, it’s probably an indicator that you are too little for big things. A wise man once said this about leaders, “Be careful who you let on your ship, because some people will sink the whole ship just because they can’t be the captain.”
Of course, the majority populace eventually gets the leaders they deserve, vote for, buy from or listen to. But as Alfred Adler, the Austrian founder of the school of individual psychology, said, “It is easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them.”
This observation might easily apply to many famous leaders or culture influencers of today’s “do-as-I-say, not-as-Ido” ilk. Just because you’re up in the air and harping on something doesn’t mean you’re an angel.
Most people’s frustration is overwhelming, and the consequences are often severe for the storks, logs and frogs. The storks get blinded by their light and the light of their agenda.
The frogs become stork fodder, providing nourishment to the storks, only making matters worse. And the logs sit there, doing nothing, letting the storks walk all over them, hoping they won’t be the stork’s toilet.
Then, sooner or later, but inevitably, the storks run out of frogs to provide sustenance for their stork-driven projects or companies.
But wait, here’s some good news, there’s another leader option. I say to us frogs, let’s quit swinging back and forth between log and stork leaders.
The Scriptures enlighten us about good leadership. “Kings like to throw their weight around, and people in authority like to give themselves fancy titles. It’s not going to be that way for you (disciples). Let the senior among you become like the junior; let the leader act the part of a servant.”
A good leader motivates, doesn’t mislead and doesn’t exploit.
Intriguingly, the word “leader” is mentioned only six times in the Bible. The word servant is mentioned 900 times. So why do we have so many leadership conferences?
Educator and motivational speaker Steve Ventura said, “If there’s any concept that’s synonymous with leadership, it’s responsibility.”
We should note leaders who want the authority and privileges of leadership without leadership responsibility. A leader’s gift is for others and flows to others for everyone’s benefit.
Good leaders don’t gather for themselves. They serve others without agendas, lies, earmarks and email attachments. Authentic leadership takes personal integrity and selfless servanthood.
Coach John Wooden says, “Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” Reputation is built in a moment. Character is built in a lifetime.
You might be thinking, “Ed, you are bringing Jesus into leadership again. Do I need Jesus’ stuff?” Dude, in today’s world, you need Jesus just to go to Walmart.
Here’s your takeaway. “When right-living people (leaders) bless the city, it flourishes; evil talk from wrong-living people (leaders) turns it into a ghost town in no time.” Proverbs 11:11. Doesn’t that ghost town sound like Aesop’s frogless pond?
There’s some common sense for you about leadership in today’s world. Use your horse sense; it leads to stable thinking. PT
Ed Delph is a noted author of 10 books, as well as a pastor, teacher, former business owner and speaker. He has traveled extensively, having been to more than 100 countries. He is president of NationStrategy, a nonprofit organization involved in uplifting and transforming communities worldwide. He may be contacted at nationstrategy@cs.com. For more info, see nationstrategy.com.
PUZZLE ANSWERS
Jehovah’s Witnesses minister in prisons
BY JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
COVID-19 shut down access to most U.S. prisons, including the Arizona State Prison Complex-Yuma, where Shannon Gunderman volunteers with a group of Jehovah’s Witness ministers.
Without warning, inmates were cut off from a robust Bible education program that included weekly Bible-based discourses, audience discussions, individual Bible studies and video presentations.
Within weeks, Jehovah’s Witnesses pivoted their in-person ministry and activities around the country to virtual meetings and preaching through letters, telephone calls and videoconferencing.
These changes reaped unexpected results, as their prison ministry illustrates. Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to build a spiritual lifeline into their local correctional facilities in whatever way they can.
Prior to the pandemic, volunteer ministers visited the prison facility weekly, conducting small-group meetings for worship within each prison unit and occasionally baptizing someone into the faith.
When the prison facility went into lockdown in March 2020, Gunderman was determined to continue providing spiritual encouragement to the inmates, realizing that an alternate program for regular spiritual support would be needed to tide the inmates over.
Through a carefully composed monthly letter, Gunderman and fellow Jehovah’s Witnesses share Bible verses and related scriptural information to approximately 30 to 40 inmates who have shown interest in the Bible’s message. In addition to Bible-based information, the letter includes personal comments from congregants.
Each month congregation members are notified that a letter is being sent to interested inmates, and if they would like to forward a comment to the inmates they may. The comment is then sanitized to comply with applicable guidelines, and it becomes part of the letter so that it results in an “interchange of encouragement,” Gunderman said.
The results have been surprising. “We thought we were encouraging them, but then we got all these letters back in return that encouraged us,” Gunderman explained.
“One (inmate) … lost his 3-year-old daughter, so we sent him a letter just telling him how much we were feeling for his loss,” Gunderman said.
Although confident in the positive power of the monthly correspondence, Gunderman eagerly anticipates the day he can visit inmates in person again.
In-person communication and contact are difficult to replace, so “we’re really hoping to get back there soon,” Gunderman said.
Everyone deserves the chance to learn Bible truths.
To learn more about Jehovah’s Witnesses and their activity, visit jw.org.
Shannon Gunderman uses a monthly letter to share encouraging Bible information with inmates in the Arizona State Prison Complex in Yuma. (Photo courtesy of the Jehovah’s Witnesses)
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