The Day I Quit Believing I Could Fly

When I was a little boy there was something magical about a cape. It did not have to be store-bought: an old discarded towel or pillow case bequeathed to me by my Mom would do. Regardless of its origin, it became magical the moment it was draped over my shoulders. I instantly believed I could fly.

But somewhere along the way – after a few bumps, bruises and crash landings – I stopped believing! The cape was not magical. I had no super-powers. I was just an ordinary boy who once had dreams but no longer believed.

Over the years, I have discovered Leadership can be a lot like believing in the cape. In the early stages everything has potential. My used desk, army surplus file cabinets and reclaimed office chair were magical. Even my old car performed like a cape transporting me to church meetings.

Opportunities came – but then, so did bumps, bruises and crash landings. Not everyone was excited about my leadership. I pushed on but was not quite as confident as I had been previously that I could fly!  And then it happened. One day I woke up and saw myself as an ordinary person, not a leader. I no longer believed I could fly.

This is not a parable. I have been to this place in my personal leadership many times. The reality is that all of us in leadership have days we feel empowered as well as those we just don’t feel we can face one more person because we have lost confidence.

There are many options at this point: we can quit, we can hide, we can coast, or we can be proactive.

We need to spend extended time with the Lord in His presence allowing Him to minister to us through His Word. We also must allow a friend to speak truth into our lives while walking with us on the journey.

The bottom line is this: the Lord has to frequently bring me to the end of myself. He has to remind me I have no magical powers of leadership but . . . I can fly. He has specifically told me so: “but they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

What about you? Can you still fly?

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