As a working parent, I used to believe that being a good leader, at home and at work, meant being strong all the time. Unshakable. Always having the answers. Never letting my kids see me rattled or tired. I thought weakness was failure, and admitting I was overwhelmed would make me a less effective dad.
Then life kept coming: deadlines that didn’t care about bedtime stories, a child’s meltdown that hit right when I was preparing for a big meeting, a marriage that needed more attention than I felt I had to give. I was exhausted, and pretending otherwise wasn’t working anymore.
As I gradually dug deeper into God’s Word over time, He gently showed me something life-changing: When Jesus is first in my life, I can be strong and weak at the same time. And that’s not a contradiction. It’s the healthiest, most grounded way to lead my family.
I learned this through a passage that used to scare me: “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.” This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people (Revelation 13:10).
It’s not about me fighting every battle with my own strength. The very weapons the world uses against us, stress, criticism, and exhaustion, will eventually boomerang back on the things that try to destroy us. My job isn’t to out-muscle the chaos; my job is to endure faithfully, trusting that God is just and He will repay trouble to those who trouble His own (2 Thessalonians 1:6). “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
So I started hiding in Christ instead of hiding my struggles. I let myself be weak before Him, admitting in prayer that I felt like I was failing as a parent and a professional. And in that vulnerability, I found a strength that wasn’t mine. I could lament a hard day and still show up steady for my kids the next morning. I could say “I don’t know” to my team and still lead with confidence. I could be tired and still be a safe place for my family.
Then God showed me another picture: a sea of glass glowing with fire (Revelation 15:2). Peace and power, calm and heat, stillness and flame, all perfectly blended. I used to think I had to choose: either I was calm and quiet at home (but stagnant), or I was driven and energetic (but stressed out). But the Lord showed me that true balance looks like this: my outward energy regulated by inward peace, and my inward peace finding expression in outward energy.
When Jesus is first, I don’t have to suppress my passion to be peaceful, or sacrifice peace to get things done. I can be both because He is both Lion and Lamb.
Today, as a parent and professional, I lead differently. I can be honest with my kids when I’m struggling and still point them to the One who never does. I can set boundaries at work without guilt, because I know my worth doesn’t come from my performance. I can rest without feeling like I’m dropping the ball, because the ball was never mine to carry alone.
Hiding with Christ is the safest and most grounded place to be, especially for us, busy moms and dads, who are trying to lead our families well. When He is first, we don’t have to choose between strength and weakness. We can have both. And that’s exactly how we raise kids who know what real strength looks like. Not perfection, but dependence on the One who holds us all.
MindWolves 