Can "dipping" save your leadership?
Last summer, you may recall an incident reported about a U.S. senator from Kansas, Kevin Yoder, who "skinny dipped" in the Sea of Galilee during a business trip to the Holy Land. Kevin later admitted his actions were inappropriate for a leader of his stature and he apologized for the infraction.
One might be surprised to know tucked away and buried in the pages of Old Testament scripture is a story about another famous leader who skinny dipped...
Well, sort of!
When we pick up the story in 2 Kings 5, we are introduced to a leader named Naaman.
"Now Naaman was a commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him The Lord had given victory to Aram. He was valiant soldier, but he had leprosy."
His Twitter Bio would have read as follows:
Army Commander. Great Man. Highly Regarded. Valiant Soldier. Leper.
Huh? What? Circle the item from the list that DOESN'T belong.
If you circled LEPER, you are right!
As the story unfolds, Namaan received inside information from a young nameless servant girl who told him about a prophet who could cure his leprosy. I imagine that Namaan wasn't happy about his condition. I'm sure his leprosy greatly inhibited his ability to lead. Thus, when he got wind of a potential cure, he responded immediately. The text tells us that Namaan loaded up resources, a letter of recommendation from the king and with horses and chariots left to find the prophet. Upon his arrival to the prophets house, he appears confident that his name, stature, position, presence, endorsement and generosity were going to be the keys that would save the day - again! He was going to lead his way out of this problem using everything at his disposal to make it happen. What he didn't realize was that his healing was going to cost him the one thing he did not yet possess, but so desperately needed.
The text says,
So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage."
Namaan's response revealed the underpinnings of his heart and a challenge every leader faces in his or her leadership. Namely, when our leadership gets in the way of God's Leadership. This visionary commander was so thorough that he left no stone unturned in his mind. He already envisioned and premeditated how his entire healing experience would occur. He saw the prophet call on the name of Lord, wave his hand in cirque de soleil like fashion and voila, he would be miraculously cured. If I'm honest, I'm guilty of secretly imagineering similar scenarios in my own mind. I can't even knock his hustle right now!
Well, don't you know, the prophet Elisha doesn't even show up to the meeting. He sends the third assistant pencil sharpener to relay the message on his behalf. Namaan was furious! This was not the way he envisioned his healing. The Big Kahuna prophet didn't even show up to the gig. It becomes evidently clear, leprosy wasn't Namaan's only problem. It was as if the doctor prescribed just the right dose of humility needed for his arrogant soul. The physical leprosy on the outside of his body pales in comparison to the spiritual disease of pride found on the inside.
Namaan quickly took a deep breathe and concluded that even if he could bring himself to follow the orders of the messenger to dip in the Jordan, he'd prefer the higher end and classier bodies of water to dip in. If he was going to dip, it had to be FIGI water because he didn't do POLAND SPRING. Humility, on our terms is an oxymoron.
But a shout out to the nameless servants in the text. First, the young servant girl notified Namaan about the prophet and now the traveling armor bearers tastefully and tactfully reason with their fearless leader. In short, they exhort him to listen to the prophet and dip. So Namaan made his way to the Jordan, possibly still arguing under his breathe, nevertheless moving in the right direction. The stillness of the waters were interrupted by his humble entrance and as he dipped, the ripple effects of his actions are still being felt today.
Dip...One
Dip...Two
Dip...Three
Dip...Four
Dip...Five
Dip...Six
Dip...Seven
"So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy."
The prophet said, Go wash yourself seven times in the Jordan. The number seven represents completion. He dipped until his healing was done.
While not always pleasant, I think we can all attest to the countless opportunities the Lord affords us to dip (get low) in humility. While never easy to swallow, it is always the perfect dose. When it comes to the work of humility, we dip until we're done.
Are there areas in your life and leadership, where the Lord has instructed you to do something that will be outwardly humiliating. It might be what you need. Grace awaits those who are willing to humble themselves. Namaan was a fantastic and decorated leader who could have led the rest of his life with a "but he was a leper" as part of his bio. Our strengths, gifts and calling do not nullify or excuse the areas in our lives where we might be sick.
Peter's definition of LeaderDip...
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." 1 Peter 5:6
Life On Purpose,
Ralph
