What Manner of Leader Ought you to be?

Today I read Doctrine and Covenants section 87, a prophecy concerning the Civil War here in America and future wars. The first verse uses the word wars, plural. I had always missed that before someone pointed it out to me in college, probably a professor I had, I'm not really sure. But if you think about it, ever since the civil war, the wars in this world have been increasing.

I have never understood war anyway. It never made sense to me that two people have an argument, or a disagreement and because those 2 people have political power, suddenly hundreds of thousands of people die. If those 2 people have a problem, let them sort it out. But for some reason people are drawn to power and do not want to give it up.

I've always wondered why power corrupts those who wield it. It obviously doesn't corrupt everyone, but there are so many that as soon as they get power, as the scriptures state, that they immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion. They don't realize that leaders are supposed to be servants to those they lead. I don't know how they can miss it, the Savior himself says to His Apostles said that he who would be the greatest among you must be the servant to all. I don't remember the exact terminology but that is the gist of the idea. The true purpose of a leader is to lead people unto Christ. That is what all the true leaders have done since Adam.

And yet, somewhere along the way, Satan was able to teach someone that because everyone obeyed him/her the way they did, they can do anything they want. And instead of doing what is best for the people, leaders started doing what is best for themselves. Nowadays, it is rare to see a leader, outside of religion, who does not have a personal agenda somewhere. I am sure that it happens, but it is not a common thing I think. In my own life I have seen good men become virtual tyrants and completely change their personalities as soon as they got a little power. Rarely have I seen it happen the other way though. Have you ever noticed that it almost never happens that a person who is already a jerk and a tyrant almost never becomes a better person because they are a leader? Kind of strange.

Once again, as in all things, if you suffer from this, the Lord can and will help you. If you find yourself being a tyrant when given any kind of power at all or perhaps even worse, lusting after power, the Savior can help you change your personality to overcome that challenge. We are all going to have go be leaders eventually if we are going to become like God is one day. After all, He holds power like nothing we have ever seen here on the earth. But He is also the most benevolent being and is beyond our comprehension. He serves us each and every day and allows us to make our own mistakes and do what we think is best. How many other leaders would do that? Not many.

If you are ever called upon to be a leader, either religious or secular, I urge you to reach out to Heavenly Father for guidance and you will not be disappointed. As in all things, the Savior wants us to be successful as long as it does not interfere with His plan. With His help we can become the type of leader everyone should have and strive to be. Until tomorrow.