The Bonaparte Flaw

I'm reading a big honkin' biography on Napoleon Bonaparte; like 936 pages! If ever there was somebody who tasted too much success too quickly, it was Bonaparte. By age 28 he was leading the French Army to victory as a general in Northern Italy and then by his 30th year in Egypt.

He was a masterful tactician, always placing his armies in the best possible position to win a battle. However, his weak strategic planning, coupled with his over-inflated ego, continually placed him and his army in unsustainable situations. Reading his biography, it's obvious that he saw people only as stepping stones to his own greatness. People acted like they liked him, but behind the scenes he was despised by almost all who knew him.

What I notice about many younger pastors who taste success early is this 'Bonaparte flaw.' The times I'm around some of them there is a noticeable lack of genuine humility. They come across as if they've got it all figured out; that their success is a function of their insight, their leadership, their personality. I always wonder to myself: "Where will they be 25 years from now? Is how they view themselves and how they lead their churches sustainable for the long run?"

At 31 Napoleon led a coup and became Ruler of the French Empire. Of course, such an accomplishment was not enough to satisfy his appetite for fame and glory. His insatiable appetite for more eventually cost him everything.

Pastors have been granted such an incredible opportunity to influence. When we influence people for our own purposes, it's not sustainable--God will see to that. Make decisions that are sustainable for the long haul. See individuals as objects of God's love--not as persons who can help you get what you want . . . even if you think what you want is what God wants. Don't let the 'Bonaparte Flaw' short-circuit your ministry and future.