Tags

, , , , , , , ,

oz3It seems as if our modern culture has huge issues with authority, rejecting it, challenging it, and perceiving it as a negative. Oppression, fascism, abuse. Those are the words I hear when the word “authority” is spoken. It immediately conjures up visions of abuse and exploitation, always demanding, where’s the complaint dept and how do I protest it?

I’ve taken to trying to just substitute the word “love” for authority. Whose love do you answer to? Whose love rules over you? Whose love do you submit to?

I suppose I have some issues around authority too,  but not in the same way at all. I am the much beleaguered, over burdened oldest kid. I’ve had way more authority than I’ve ever wanted, so I tend to just perceive it as unwanted responsibility. If a manager doesn’t show up at work, guess who is going to get to pick up the slack?  So I’m rather empathetic towards those in authority, and cheerful when they finally show up and take over.

I do have a lifetime of trust issues to deal with, however. Recently someone once again reminded me of that saying, “trust is a two-way street.” We focus a lot on victims, on learning to trust,  kind of missing the full essence of those words. A two-way street to where? People in positions of leadership need our encouragement and our trust, and they need our grace when they are imperfect.

Trust is not just about our own personal comfort level and long history of damage inflicted upon us by authorities. (Or self-inflicted on us by our own defiance and rebellion.) Someone recently reminded me self-inflicted wounds hurt just as much as those inflicted by others. Perhaps they hurt even more, because when they’re self inflicted, it’s really hard to find someone else to blame for it all.

Trust actually is a two-way street, we have to respect our leaders and fuel them with our trust. We have to learn how to be good followers, because we do harm when we carry unresolved issues within ourselves and are unable to offer up our trust. Trust is a two-way street, and to look upon those in authority with chronic distrust, skepticism, and never-ending challenges  to their authority, is to burden them with  a heavy load. They are actually servants carrying a load, doing a job  so you don’t have to. I like the whole concept of servant-leadership, as in we must respect their service, NOT treat them as if they exist to serve us and then work hard to keep them in their place. They are servants in the sense that they provide a vital service.

Trust is a two-way street, authority is a vital and necessary aspect of civilized society, and as a culture we need to repair the damage that has been done to us as individuals,and to learn how to be good followers. I can think of no better teacher than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and no better instruction manual than the bible. It’s no accident that the farther we’ve moved away from Him and His word, the more chaos and confusion we’ve sown in the world. Issues around authority impact us on every level from politics to marriage, to faith to parenting, to individual growth, and our own strength as a country.

So, take it from a much beleaguered, over burdened, oldest kid, people in authority need our encouragement, respect, and our trust. We need to learn how to be good followers, not feral cats hissing and spitting at everyone who tries to love us.

 

doormat2