Why Every Leader Needs a Friend Like Peter
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I want to begin this article with a statement: Every leader needs someone like Peter on their staff, and every person needs a friend like Peter in their life.
Do you realize after Jesus said he would have to suffer, die and be raised again, Peter pulled Jesus aside and began to rebuke him? Let that sink in for a moment. The nerve of Peter rebuking Jesus is what most people think. Maybe we should change that and think about the courage of Peter to rebuke Jesus. Peter wasn’t on board with the plan that Jesus had laid out, and rather than just accept it and say nothing, Peter spoke up. He should be commended for his bravado and for his willingness to say what was on his mind. In this case he was wrong, and I am not supporting him for being wrong, I am applauding him for saying what he thought.
Far too often we don’t want people in our lives who are going to disagree with us or tell us how they really feel. We often prefer the types of people who will just say what we want to hear. If all you ever do is surround yourself with people that will tell you what you want to hear, then you will not grow. Think about the people who are closest to you. Do you only have people around you that tell you how good you are, or how wonderful a job you are doing? There is nothing wrong with this type of encouragement when it is warranted, but it must be balanced. The problem is there are times when we are not doing good or the job we are doing is not great. In these moments you need a Peter in your life to tell you the truth or challenge your thinking on a particular matter.
When Peter opened his mouth and rebuked Jesus, he thought he was saying what was in Jesus’ best interest. However, Peter was thinking about what was in his own best interest because he didn’t want to see Jesus suffer and die. (Somehow he missed the raised to life part.)
Again, let me say I am not commending what Peter said because Jesus correctly chastised him. I am simply acknowledging the courage Peter had to say what was on his mind. We all need people around us who don’t just automatically or blindly agree with us, we need people who tell us when they think we are wrong. This doesn’t mean those people are always right, but sometimes it may force us to re-evaluate and be more certain of the choices we are making.
This is true of leaders and true of us as individuals. The best leaders surround themselves with people who are not afraid to tell them the truth and how they feel. These are also the best types of friends to have. Unfortunately, most people either can’t handle that or just don’t want those types of people around.
One last thing to notice is that while Jesus corrected Peter, he didn’t dismiss him. He was still one of the twelve and as we know he went on to do great things for God. He was instrumental in spreading the gospel and was a true leader in the early church. We need to make sure we don’t dismiss the Peters in our lives because those are the ones who will most often challenge us and make us better. At the end of the day, people like Peter are essential and when we embrace them, they will help us become the people and leaders that God has created us to be.
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