Yesterday, I asked myself when I was going to grow up. Have you ever asked yourself that question? If you stick around for a few moments, I’ll tell you why I need a little maturing.

A few weeks ago, I found myself in a situation at the end of a long, kick-butt day that I felt was sprung on me. Like the unsuspecting raccoon crossing the road, I didn’t see the bull dog on the Mack truck until it was too late. I was confronted with an issue by another leader in front of a group of people, and in the heat of the moment, I began to deal with it on the spot. Worse, it was a group of people from my own congregation, and I was the pastor in the room. Ouch.

Now, issues are issues. There was nothing wrong with having the issue nor dealing with it, but, in hindsight, I realize that I should have had the wisdom to ask the leader to speak to me in private. However, I like the ill-fated coon, jumped in front of the oncoming vehicle with nary a thought to stop.

The smoke blew over rather quickly, yet the feelings of anger and surprise haunted me for days. Recently, a friend was kind enough to bring the subject up to me in private and inform me of the feelings of the others in the room as a result of my imprudence. What could I say? I was guilty. I had made a mistake, and the mere fact that I’m the leader makes it all the more serious.

As leaders, our decisions have large consequences. I’m sure that I don’t have to tell you that. What I feel that I need to say, is that we cannot allow our personal mistakes to cause us to quit or to pull back in our leadership. We are humans, and we will mess things up every now and then. Only one leader is allowed to be perfect in this organization, our Messiah Jesus.

Ever made a mistake in front of a lot of people? How did you handle it afterwards?