Leading Through Fiery Furnaces
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By Dr. Barrett Mosbacker
Life can be hard. Jesus told his disciples plainly, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Christians are not exempt from trouble. In many cases, we endure more trouble than non-believers.
We face opposition and persecution because we follow Christ, for “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Peter reinforced this reality: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:12–13).
We also endure the special attention of Satan’s attacks and temptations. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Likewise, Paul reminds us that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
David observed a painful irony: “I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind” (Psalm 73:3–5).
The wicked are often at ease, enjoying long lives and health, while those who follow God suffer.
The Unique Furnaces of Leadership
Leaders face the normal troubles of this life and must endure the fiery furnaces unique to leadership. Shakespeare understood this, which is why he wrote, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”1 As leaders, we face many furnaces through which we must walk.
The Furnace of Criticism
It is impossible to lead and not be criticized. A critical and complaining spirit is intrinsic to our fallen nature. We more readily complain and criticize than we compliment and thank. We criticize others, and others criticize us. Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun, and as leaders, we are frequently the principal targets of critical, complaining spirits.
Since the dawn of history, leaders have been criticized, sometimes justly, sometimes unjustly. Consider Moses. Moses was a leader of unique courage, faith, and ability. By God’s grace, he led an entire nation out of slavery. He led them through a hostile wilderness, and through God’s provision he supplied all their needs. Yet despite delivering them from slavery and the Egyptian armies and providing for them in a barren land, he was relentlessly and ruthlessly criticized, facing constant opposition and betrayal. At one point, the people grew so hostile that Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me” (Exodus 17:4).
Or consider Paul, who faced physical persecution from Jewish religious leaders and Roman authorities alongside opposition, criticism, and complaints from those within the church, the very people he was so sacrificially serving. He wrote to the Corinthians, “Besides other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). The Christians Paul sought to encourage, build up, and lead in the faith questioned his authority, challenged his motives, derided the quality of his preaching, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account” (2 Corinthians 10:10), and resisted his instruction.
The lesson is clear: if God has called you to leadership, he has called you to walk through the furnace of criticism. Moses faced it. David faced it. Paul faced it. Jesus faced it. It is inevitable. As Jesus said, “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours” (John 15:20).
The Furnace of Gossip and Slander
People talk. They do not merely complain and criticize; they share their complaints and criticism with others, as though seeking to justify and validate their own critical spirit by spreading it through gossip and slander. James warns, “And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell” (James 3:6). Some of that criticism will reach you, and it will burn. Many times the criticism is shared behind your back. You may never hear it, though you may see its symptoms in the attitudes and behavior of others. Leaders are frequent targets of gossip and slander, and it burns.
The Furnace of Hard Decisions
Leaders must make hard decisions. Many of these decisions will be unpopular, either with the individuals affected or with others who have a special relationship with those affected. Administering discipline to a student may result in pushback, anger, criticism, gossip, and slander from the student’s parents. Disciplining or terminating an employee can produce the same reaction from friends and colleagues. What makes both situations difficult is that you cannot legally or ethically share the details surrounding the circumstances that led to your decisions. Because people are not inclined to extend the judgment of charity, they will create their own narrative. Feeding that narrative are the disciplined students, the parents of those children, and the friends and colleagues of employees who faced disciplinary action or termination. Their narratives are seldom kind to you as the decision-maker.
Other difficult decisions include reducing costs through cutting programs or staff positions, holding students accountable for the quality of their academic work, benching an athlete for conduct or eligibility violations, declining to renew a beloved teacher whose performance fails to meet the school’s standards, denying admission to a student whose family is well connected within the school community, enforcing the school’s statement of faith or lifestyle covenant when families resist its terms, and raising tuition to sustain the mission when the community would prefer the cost to remain unchanged. Each of these decisions will generate criticism. Each is unavoidable if you are leading with integrity and courage.
Leaders are called to walk through the furnace of hard decisions and the resulting criticism and gossip that accompany them.
The Furnace of Stress and Weariness
Because leadership brings criticism, gossip, and the burden of making difficult decisions, we become stressed and weary. This is not the satisfying weariness that comes from hard work and a job well done. It is the deep weariness arising from the mental, emotional, and spiritual drain of leadership itself, which is why Paul encourages us to “not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). Criticism and pushback come and go, but the underlying stress of leadership can be relentless unless we are able to pull away for refreshment. It may be the furnace of unrelenting weariness that is the hardest burden we must bear. Again, consider Paul, who suffered beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, hunger, and sleepless nights, all while carrying “the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). The external trials came and went, but the weight of responsibility for the churches under his care never lifted.
How to Walk Through the Furnaces Without Being Burnt to a Crisp
Here are practical principles for walking through the fiery furnaces of leadership without being burnt to a crisp.
A. Expect the Flames
We can more easily bear burdens when we expect them. When we know the trial is coming, we can steel ourselves for what we are about to face. We can prepare spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. It is when we are caught by surprise that the furnaces of leadership sear deeply. This is why Peter urged Christians not to be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you" (1 Peter 4:12).
As a leader, expect to be burned. But remember that God is with you, and although the flames hurt, you will not be consumed if you rely on God and his providence, and your soul is strengthened and nurtured through his word and by his Spirit. God promises, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2). The Hebrew word for “burned” (תִּכָּוֶה) carries the sense of being scorched or destroyed, not merely touched by flame. Isaiah does not promise exemption from the fire but preservation through it. The trials of leadership are real, and they leave real scars. We will feel the heat of criticism, gossip, hard decisions, and weariness. But if we walk through those furnaces in reliance upon God, we will not be consumed.
B. Do Not Build Your Own Fire
It is easy to criticize those who criticize us. We are not immune from the sin of criticism and complaint. However, we must possess enough self-awareness, humility, and honesty to recognize that sometimes the criticism is deserved. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Sometimes we borrow trouble. We do so in several ways. We make bad decisions. We do the wrong thing. We react rather than respond thoughtfully. We decide too quickly without gathering all the facts, relying instead on assumptions and hearsay. We make the right decision at the wrong time or in the wrong way. Simply put, we blow it sometimes.
The point is this: while some criticism and pushback are inevitable, some result from our own poor decisions and poor execution. We will not always be right. We will make mistakes. But we can avoid many wrong decisions and many mistakes by taking the time to seek wisdom prayerfully, to gather all the facts, to be governed by the fruit of the Spirit rather than human passion, and to exercise righteous anger rather than sinful anger. Be careful not to make unnecessary trouble for yourself.
C. Walk Through the Fire with Christian Mentors and Friends
Do not walk through the fiery furnace of leadership alone. Identify godly mentors, trusted confidants, and wise counselors who can help you work through difficult decisions and manage difficult situations. Find a fellow head of school you can call when something goes sideways. Build a relationship with a pastor or elder who will pray with you when the weight becomes heavy. Join a professional cohort or leadership group where you can share candidly about school issues. Seek people who will both encourage you and speak into your leadership with integrity and truthfulness, for as Proverbs says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy” (Proverbs 27:6). Be humble enough to seek support from others, for as Solomon reminds us, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10). A leader who isolates himself is a leader who will eventually fall.
D. Keep Your Focus on Whom You Serve: God, Not Man
A great deal of our stress and discouragement as leaders comes from the desire to please others, to look good in their eyes, and to be successful as others define success. To a degree, this is legitimate. We are accountable to those who have authority over us, and we should take that accountability seriously, listen carefully, and lead with excellence. But accountability to those over us is not the same as leading for the approval of those around us.
The temptation to please others is relentless. It shapes how we make decisions, what we say and do not say, and whether we act on conviction or wait to see which way the wind is blowing. A leader driven by the approval of others will avoid the hard conversation, soften the unpopular decision, and compromise biblical standards to keep the peace. That leader may be well liked, but he will not lead well.
We must never confuse human approval with ultimate accountability. We are accountable first to God. When doing what is right aligns with what others expect of us, the path is clear. When it does not, we must choose faithfulness over approval. This is where leadership becomes costly. We are not promised that faithfulness will be rewarded with comfort. Jesus himself warned, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:34–36). If faithfulness to Christ can divide even a household, we should not be surprised when it costs us professionally. We will sometimes pay a high price for making the right decision. People may turn against us. Relationships may suffer. Opportunities may close. Nevertheless, we are called to fearless faithfulness. We are called to fear God, not man, to be faithful to his word, and to be faithful to what we have been called to do as leaders.
Focus on pleasing God and serving others rather than seeking the approval of others. You will never make everyone happy. Do not try. Instead, do what is right, lead with integrity, and rest with a clear conscience before the Lord. We lead coram Deo, before the face of God. Paul asks the question every leader must answer: “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).
Whom are you serving? Whom are you seeking to please?
E. Focus on the Mission, Not the Misery
It is natural and tempting to focus on the burden of leadership, to focus on the flames, on the misery that sometimes accompanies it. But just as we are to fear God and not seek to please men, we must focus on the school’s mission, not our misery. This is easier said than done, but it is critical, not only for strengthening our resolve to do what is right but for our spiritual, mental, and emotional health. We cannot ignore the genuine cost and burden of leadership, nor should we. But we can decide where to focus our attention and our energy. Develop the discipline and the habit of directing your thoughts and emotions toward fulfilling the mission to which you have been called, not toward yourself. Our leadership is not about us. It is about fulfilling our calling before God, who has created us, redeemed us, gifted us, and called us to lead.
Doing so will require resolve, resilience, and spiritual, mental, emotional, and sometimes physical grit. Scripture calls us repeatedly to persevere. Paul wrote, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). James reminds us of the promise that awaits those who do: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12). To persevere means to keep on keeping on. One of my favorite songs is “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha. I encourage you to look up the lyrics and listen to the song. By God’s grace and his Spirit, and informed by the Scriptures, it can be an inspiration for our leadership.
Leadership is a noble and wonderful calling. It comes with many rewards. But it comes with burdens. We are called to walk through the fiery furnaces of leading others and our schools. As we do, we must rely upon God’s grace, ensure that our character and our decisions are informed by God’s word, and develop thick skin while maintaining a tender heart. Let the criticism roll off you. Lead confidently, and do not be surprised at the fiery trials when they come. They are part of leading. Walk through them remembering that the furnace of leadership authenticates our faith, reveals and refines our character, and, as fire refines gold, refines our leadership. Put on the asbestos of faith and God’s word: “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:16–17). Lead with conviction, courage, and perseverance.
King Henry the Fourth, Part Two, William Shakespeare. ↩︎