I’ve always loved justice and fought for justice. Injustice upsets me to the core and I believe part of the reason I’m on this earth is to fight for the oppressed, abused, and neglected. But what happens when you feel you’ve been dealt with unjustly?

A number of years ago, I experienced a turnaround of the wrong kind – one that takes you from your safe and happy place to a dark and low one. Throughout that stage of my journey, I spent a lot of time thinking about the leaders who had impacted my life. And I had a profound realization: many of them did not have the title or the leadership role that others did, and yet they impacted me much more. They consistently loved me, counseled me, and most importantly – saw me. They knew when things weren’t going well in my life just by looking at me. They prayed for me, brought verses to encourage me, and cared for me in ways that I will never forget. To this day, I seek to emulate their example.

Through their example, I began to realize that leadership is not defined by a title or a position. If we believe what the Bible says about leadership – that it’s about loving and serving those around you – then leadership is really about influence and impact. And that can happen no matter what position you hold.

Right then, I decided that it didn’t matter what was happening in my life or even what people thought of me. My leadership needed a lot of work, but I was freed by the understanding that I could lead right where I was planted. I knew I could do better at praying for those around me, loving them, seeing them, and pausing in the midst of pressure to find out how they were.

It was the best decision I ever made. God had me in leadership training school. If only I had known what He was up to! And He wasn’t done – there were also some big forgiveness mountains I had to climb because of the injustices done to me. And every time I felt like I was getting somewhere with it, a new offense popped up its ugly little head. Have you ever experienced that? The past comes rushing back and your attitude takes a steep decline into bitterness, hurt and anger. I reflected again on leadership, realizing that if I was serious about it, then I had to stop making excuses for myself. I either had to do what the Bible said or forget about leading anyone. Jesus exhorts us in Matthew 18 to forgive “seventy times seven” times. And in Matthew 5, He tells us to love our enemies, bless those that curse us, do good to those that hate us, and pray for those who spitefully use us. Ouch! Following Jesus is not for wimps!

I made a decision to take seriously the responsibility to not only forgive, but to do good to those causing me pain. I’m embarrassed to say that it took me two years of making those choices in the midst of ongoing offenses to really own that forgiveness from my heart. At the end of that time, I had the opportunity to practically bless one of the people hurting me. Twice. Because God was clearly challenging me that forgiveness is not just a choice – it’s an action. I didn’t feel like it could be real for me if I didn’t step up and make it part of how I was living. But how powerful it was! When misfortune struck this person, bitterness did not bubble up in my heart. I felt only compassion. I was able to minister to them! God had truly done a miracle in me. The very next day, I received a beautiful, national honour, and I knew it was a message from my Father – you passed the test. That season is now over.

And thankfully it was. The ensuing years have been ones of restoration and healing. And yet my years learning to lead from the bottom have laid a foundation that impacts me to this day. I know that whether I am highly esteemed or unjustly oppressed, I can commit to being someone who loves and serves those around me – a true, Biblical leader. Leadership is not bestowed on you by anyone but God. And He calls us to serve others with our whole hearts. That’s a lesson I’ll be working on for the rest of my life.

Cheryl Weber has been passionate about impacting culture with life-changing stories for more than 20 years as a Director, Journalist, Social Justice Activist and Television Host. Her commitment to fight poverty and exploitation has taken her from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro to some of the most desperate places on the planet. Named as one of the top 100 Christian women in Canada, she was honoured to receive a Woman of Excellence Award for Raising Global Awareness and an International Women Achievers’ Media Award.   She is currently the Senior Executive Producer and Co-host of Canada’s longest running daily television show, 100 Huntley Street.

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