Fear is the number one reason we hope and prefer someone else to lead. Moses was no exception when he begged, “Pardon your servant. Lord. Please send someone else.” How many of us have the same thoughts?
When my sister first told me about First Place for Health, I was adamant about not leading. No way. When I started sensing prompting during my quiet time, I questioned God. Why me? I’d failed at weight loss too many times to count. How embarrassing if I failed again. Who would take me seriously?
God was relentless, after months of saying no, I finally said yes. When I approached the pastor, it was brought to the leadership team, and they agreed it was a good idea. What? Were they crazy? Did they not see the 274-pound obese woman standing in front of them?
Once I voiced my desire to start a group, the church supported me. People at church encouraged me. At the first information meeting, people told me the group was an answer to their prayers. Leading a First Place for Health group was the beginning of a new way of life, and I did it afraid.
It’s one thing to know you are to lead and another to take that step and say yes to all God has planned. Start today.
- Spend time with God. Maybe you are like me and need to spend time fighting it out in your quiet time. When you emerge from the battle, you are ready to lead because God always wins the argument. When Moses was concerned that people might not follow him. The Lord assured him that they would follow him because God was with him.
- Share the Load. When Moses was overwhelmed by the leadership responsibility, his wise father-in-law, Jethro explained that Moses needed to surround himself with others who could help him. Find a co-leader or an assistant and divide up the responsibilities.
- What if they won’t believe me? In Exodus 3 and 4 Moses continued to question the Lord with “What ifs”. The First Place for Health Leader Kit includes everything you need to start a group including videos to show in your meetings that will teach the content during your first sessions. A Leadership Book that explains in detail how to begin, what to share at each of the weekly meetings, plus helpful hints on leading. Our website includes How To – Leader Videos
- Pray. One of the most consistent patterns of Moses as a leader was his time in prayer for the people he was leading and asking the Lord for wisdom, guidance, and provision. At first, we pray for people to come to the group. Once they arrive our focus changes to how best to lead the group.
For those of you already leading: What was your biggest hesitation before you started your First Place for Health Group? Share it in the comments below.
Leading is a venture of faith. Take that first step and say “Yes” to leading a First Place for Health Group.
Helen Baratta is Director of Development at First Place for Health. She is the author of Restored! Embracing Weight Loss God’s Way and My Place for Leadership. Ready to connect? Join Helen and on the monthly Zoom Leader Meetup listed in the Events Calendar. Contact her at helen.baratta@fp4h.com – Instagram @helenbaratta, Facebook @helen.t.baratta
My fear? I was embarrassed that I needed to lose weight, it was like acknowledging out loud what everyone else already knew. I was afraid no one would show up, until I surrendered that God planted the seed. Once I did that, faith kicked in, this was his plan for me and everyone else who prayerfully showed up. I let them all know we were in this together and I was learning the program right along with them.