Laced With Poison

We were given some beautiful serving dishes that are, well… unusable.

They were unique, special, eye-catching, and we really liked them.

Unfortunately, when you flipped ‘em over, they had this little warning label on the base…

DO NOT USE FOR FOOD
CONTAINS LEAD
FOR DISPLAY ONLY
YOU WILL DIE A SLOW, PAINFUL DEATH JUST FROM TOUCHING THIS DISH—QUICKLY GO CHECK IN THE MIRROR TO SEE IF YOUR EYES ARE BLEEDING

OK, I added that last part. But that’s what I was thinking when I read the warning label.

These serving dishes were beautiful to look at, but…

They were unusable.

Basically, they were laced with poison.

I think there’s a leadership principle here.

It’s possible to be full of talent, skill, ability, anointing…

But still be unusable.

Some incredibly talented people need warning labels on ‘em:

DISORGANIZED
DRAMA QUEEN
TOTALLY INSECURE
COMPLETELY UNRELIABLE
HARSH WITH PEOPLE—I WILL CAUSE DAMAGE
COMPETITIVE—EVERYTHING’S A CONTEST—I MUST WIN—YOU MUST LOSE
GIFTED IN COMPLICATING SIMPLE THINGS
AWKWARD PEOPLE SKILLS
EASILY SIDETRACKED
GOSSIP GUARANTEE
WISHY-WASHY
DISHONEST

In my opinion, less talent and more integrity is a better choice in terms of usability.

It’s not that I don’t like talent. I value talent, skill, ability, and anointing…

But I don’t want it when it’s laced with poison.

There’s a great verse in the Bible that describes King David’s leadership:

“David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” (Psalm 78.72 NIV)

He was both skilled AND full of integrity—talented AND trustworthy—anointed AND reliable. He was usable.

I love that, and I want it to be true about my leadership too.

I don’t want to be skilled, BUT…

I don’t want to be talented, BUT…

I don’t want to be anointed, BUT…

I don’t want to be unusable.

I want to be usable.

How about you?