Here we are, in the thick of one of the most interesting – not to mention consequential – presidential election campaigns in this country’s history!

The stakes are incredibly high. The campaign budgets for each candidate are even higher. And the heat of the rhetoric being volleyed back and forth will soon surpass the MOLTEN LAVA stage. 

And so, as The Fateful Day (November 5) gets closer and closer, I can’t help but ask the question: “Who in their right mind would want that job?”

Seriously.

I mean sure… it pays pretty well. There is a ton of power and prestige that goes along with the job of POTUS, not to mention that you get a cool helicopter and airplane to fly around in. 

But what about the downside?

It might be because my brain is too small to generate the imagination horsepower required to answer this, but how does any mere mortal cope with the STRESS that surely comes with being President of the United States of America? 

• Knowing that every decision you make can have a huge impact on the lives of tens of millions of people?
  
• Knowing that your every move, word, gesture, and clothing choice is being scrutinized down to the granular level by millions?
  
• Knowing that the situation may very well arise where you may be asked to send young men and women into harm’s way?
  
• Knowing you will be called upon to master the complexities of long-standing international relationships?
  
• Knowing that you will be hated and reviled by at least half the country, no matter what you do?
  
• Knowing that the effects of your decisions and actions will continue to ripple through history, long after you have assumed room temperature?

These are some of the questions I would ask if I ever had the chance to sit down with someone who has actually done this job. 

But there is one other question nagging at me that I would also like to ask. If – say, for example – Jimmy Carter or Bush 41 happened to be sitting down across from me, sipping on a glass of ice cold lemonade, I would also love to ask them: “How do you know which critics to pay attention to and which ones to ignore?”

Because here is the deal: if you have ever been in a position of leadership – whether as manager of a softball team, mayor of a small town, CEO of a company, parent, pastor, or plutocrat – you know criticism is part of the gig. Decisions you make will inevitably rub some of your constituency the wrong way… whether it is enforcing bedtime rules, invading Grenada, firing the A/V guy, or cancelling the company picnic. Some people won’t AT ALL like what you decided. And they will complain… either publicly or privately or both.

The trick – in my experience – is to sift through all the complaints and try to figure out where there might be something you really need to pay attention to. Kind of like panning for gold, you might say. 

Experienced leaders know that not all criticism is worthless. In the same way, not all flattery has value. The trick is figuring out which to keep and which to discard. 

I am sure we have seen (or maybe have BEEN) the leader who rejects any critical comment at all, declaring them utterly baseless and without merit. In doing so they often miss out on valuable input… even the kind that is painful to hear. 

The wise author of Proverbs says it this way: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but wisdom is with the humble.” (Proverbs 11:2, NRSVU). 

Some say they want a strong, decisive, proud person to lead this country forward for the next four years… someone who will seize the reins of power and swashbuckle the U.S. boldly through our current quagmire. 

But wouldn’t we all be better off with a leader who leads with WISDOM and HUMILITY?

Abundant blessings;