Armchair Quarterback

Watching two of my sons, and sometimes a third son, play the role as a football quarterback has been challenging, to say the least.  The pressure was surmounting at times because of the enormous responsibility of this position.  Year after year I have sat in the stands feeling like my heart was on the field along with my son because of the pressure of performance, hoping that I could somehow shield the projections of negativity when a play didn’t go as planned.  There were some years that I could literally hear the yells and tongue-lashing from on-lookers as they boldly shouted their opinions of how the pass or run should have been accomplished.  Many times the blame and accusation were pointed at him or even the coach, but no one knew the whole story of what really happened; not a clue about all the prep work, the diligence, the commitment, the sacrifice.  Behind the scenes, I would know the hours that had been put into studying not only the plays, but every position on the field so that he could lead the team effectively.  And later hearing stories that he would have to reteach the plays while out on the field because another player would forget, even after hours and hours of practice.  And yet, there was no begrudging about the necessity to do it.  The whole realization was that the bigger picture was to just win the game, and for even bigger goals, to win an entire championship.  

How many times have you been with a group of people watching a game on television and the screams of opinions start to roll?   Lofty ideas and strategies are thrown around the room of how they would accomplish the failed feat.  But for some reason, most of those people have never been in that position, or if they have, never to that level.  These commentators have been commonly referred to as “armchair quarterbacks”, offering instruction where they have no actual experience.

In light of this subject, doesn’t it appear to hold a similar connotation to the cannibalistic scrutiny of leaders in the church today?  They become dramatically enlightened by what God has done in their lives and set out to lead others in this Christian race.  They understand that it will take extra work and commitment to help ones that have a difficult time understanding the bible or this God thing.  In their zeal, they might take a risk to somehow bring about a huge advancement for the kingdom, all to find out that it wasn’t quite the right path to take.  It could have taken a little more time to seek wisdom and counsel, but the passion to win the lost and broken took over.  Yet, with a little adjustment of things like “repentance” and “going back to the prayer closet” and “seeking the counsel of many”, they start to lead their flock in a more efficient way so that the results can turn out for the maturity and growth of the collective. 

So often do we hear people completely disgusted with the slightest slip of character in a leader.  They are quick to bring about a final judgment of the matter. But how can this be when they have never filled those shoes?  Have they been able to pull back the invisible curtain called the spirit realm to see what kind of battle that leader was truly facing?

Many sit back in their own security of what I call a “hold the fort” mentality, but they have never committed to the work it will take to be in that position.  The work looks too hard and takes too much time. They are afraid of taking a risk or two because of the fear of what people will think. Or they’re afraid someone won’t approve of their leadership skills because they are different from the past skill set of a previous leader.  The possibility of failure looks too risky. But somehow, they seem to be a professional commentator and judge of a leadership situation, yet without concrete evidence or personal knowledge of the background story.

Some may study and analyze the theory of how to lead a group of people all day long, but they have never been put in the actual situation.  They have never considered that there is a real battle going on in an unseen realm; that there is a real enemy trying to shut every voice down attempting to lead someone to Jesus.   Like the “armchair quarterback” syndrome, they just want to criticize the ones that are trying to make a difference, and even dare to win big. 

There has to be accountability in leadership.  And as this age nears an end, it is becoming more needed.   But at the end of the day, there still has to be leadership.  It can’t be discarded.  The apostle Paul asked how people would hear the Truth without a preacher.  He said that God sent some as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.  Why?  In Ephesians 4:12-13 he said they were “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”. 

There needs to be people that will partner with ones in authority.  Ones who will help speak into their lives without undercutting and selling them out because of jealousy, envy and offense; people that truly carry the heart of restoration, seeking the good of all.  The bible calls our actual enemy “the accuser” in the book of Revelation.  He is constantly accusing us before the throne day and night, hoping to find some way to bring us down in order to confuse and wear down the efforts of the saints.  He feverously desires to get us out of unity and to attack each other because he knows that “a housed divided against itself cannot stand”.  Could it be possible that we have been the host that carries the voice of the accuser?  Have we been the critical voice that the enemy used to bring about failure and defeat? What if the bigger picture is that we were the one getting insight into a leader’s weakness so that we would cover them, praying that the light of revelation would come inside of their minds so they could get back on course?  What if God had a plan for a whole city or region and wanted to raise up a strong leader to go ahead into dangerous territory to pave a pathway so others could follow?  And as a result, it would destroy the lies of the accuser, the evil one? 

We may not all be called or chosen to lead in front of a massive group of people, but we can join in the efforts of God’s heart to BE the Body of Christ, made up of different and unique parts.   We can come in behind a leader and help do our part by taking our prayer life seriously, backing them up, asking God to reveal what needs to be revealed and not what we want revealed.  Let us do our part in preserving the unity of the Spirit to keep the bond of peace.  Don’t fall into the trap of the “armchair quarterback”, living a vicarious life but never one with true commitment to the Father’s cause.  If we aren’t the chosen leader, we can find our place in prayer.  We never know what God will bring about as a result of our contribution.  Let’s fight the true enemy and not each other.  The world will only know us by our love.  That’s the real deal.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.  1 Timothy 2:1-3

Julie