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By Kelvin Mulenga for Nazarene Journal –
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” — Colossians 3:23
There are people we see leading today, but what we often don’t see is the long road that brought them here.
The voices that encouraged.
The prayers that covered.
The tears no one saw.
The moments of doubt turned around by someone who simply said, “Keep going.”
Every strong leader is a story of many invisible sacrifices.
And for those who understand the weight of that, they don’t walk around with pride.
They carry one deep, steady truth in their hearts:
It is a privilege to serve.
Not Self-Made
No one rises alone.
Ministry isn’t a ladder we climb — it’s a table we are invited to.
And when we sit at that table, it’s not because we earned the seat.
It’s because Jesus made the invitation possible.
He called.
Others came alongside.
Some planted.
Others watered.
And God gave the growth.
That’s how Kingdom legacy works.
Behind every leader is a chain of people who said yes to pouring into someone else.
And behind every great move of God is a generation that took the baton and chose to run.
When You’ve Been Built, You Build
When you know what it feels like to be poured into,
You understand the call to pour into others.
When you’ve been lifted,
You begin to lift.
When someone once believed in you,
You can’t help but believe in the next.
That’s how ministries are born.
That’s how movements are sustained.
That’s how the Church becomes a living testimony of grace passed on.
Leadership is not about position.
It’s about posture.
And the posture of true leadership is this:
“Lord, thank You for trusting me with this. I am privileged to serve.”
No Stage, Just Surrender
Some will look for platforms.
But the real servants? They’ll be found on the ground, washing feet.
Not chasing visibility, but chasing faithfulness.
They don’t need the spotlight.
Because they’ve already seen the Light.
Their deepest joy isn’t the crowd.
It’s the one child who finds Jesus.
The one voice that rises in worship.
The one leader who says, “I want to serve, too.”
And when those moments come, they don’t say,
“Look what I’ve done.”
They whisper,
“Lord, thank You for letting me be a part of what You’re doing.”
To Everyone Who Has Poured In
This isn’t just about one person.
It’s about all the unseen heroes in the Kingdom:
- The mentor who stayed patient.
- The leader who gave time.
- The friend who interceded in silence.
- The elder who spoke truth when it wasn’t easy.
- The people who clapped in private when others shone in public.
To you, we say: your reward is eternal.
Your fruit is alive.
And your legacy is walking around in people you’ve built.
The Glory Belongs to Jesus
At the end of the day, we are not our own success stories.
We are evidence of mercy.
We are products of the Cross.
And anything good that flows from us is Jesus working through us.
He called.
He equipped.
He sustained.
He still does.
We are not the center.
He is.
And that’s why, whatever we do, we whisper again and again:
“It is a privilege to serve.”
Let the Church rise —
Not through status, but through surrender.
Let generations be built —
Not by strategy, but by sacrifice.
Let Jesus be glorified —
In every unseen hand, every faithful step, and every soul who simply said:
“Here I am, Lord. Use me.”
