I love dogs. When I lived in Michigan, my dog was Bear. He loved to chase balls. I would take Bear to Van Etten Lake, and we would play fetch.  Sometimes I would throw the ball into the field; sometimes into the lake.

Bear would do anything for me. I am sure he would die without a moment of hesitation to protect me. At the lake, I would keep throwing the ball, and Bear would keep on chasing.  Finally, when he couldn’t keep going, Bear would just drop, panting for a long while before he recovered.

At the time I thought Bear loved every minute. Now I think he loved every minute right to the moment when he could not serve anymore—when he dropped. Bear put his trust and loyalty in me, and I think I abused his trust.

This dynamic—chasing balls—is one that all leaders must carefully consider and appreciate. Followers, with a desire to please, will follow the high expectations of leaders, often without regard to the cost. This is especially true in Christian leadership, when the believer believes the leader reflects God’s vision. The child of God desires to please his heavenly Father.

This powerful desire to please God can be and is abused by those who claim to speak for Him.  When a suicide bomber sacrifices himself for Allah, he sincerely believes he is doing God’s will and that he will be richly rewarded—because his spiritual leaders tell him so. In Evangelical culture, the same desire is present. When the Christian leader declares God’s vision, the committed adherent will do almost anything in his power to achieve the vision—he will chase the ball until he drops.

If the leader is correctly articulating God’s will, sacrifice is often necessary and appropriate—and leaders must not shrink from their responsibilities.  In times of conflict, military leaders are routinely required to sacrifice the lives of those they lead to complete the mission. Christian leaders might be confronted with similarly difficult decisions to confront the enemy in the spiritual war that rages.

But if the Christian leader is not discerning God’s will, and is merely reflecting his own vision or the vision of others, the sacrifice of those who follow is nothing less than a tragedy. Such a leader breaches the trust of his people—demanding sacrifices that God does not seek.

Leaders—Christian leaders—have a difficult responsibility. So if you are a leader, think before you throw.