Gifts of Leadership Series, Final Reflection

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As I bring this December series to a close, I keep coming back to a small line tucked quietly into the story of the wise men. After offering their gifts to Jesus, Scripture tells us they returned home by another route. They didn’t retrace their steps. They didn’t go back the way they came. Something about that encounter changed the direction they were willing or planning to travel.

That feels like the right place to land this season of reflection and to look ahead to what comes next.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve written about the gifts the Magi carried and the leadership lessons they stirred in me. Gold reminded me that when we focus on the right work, even when it’s hard, we find significant results. Frankincense reminded me that presence can steady a place long before progress ever shows up on paper. And myrrh asked me to tell the truth about leadership’s cost and the quiet toll it can take if we never stop to tend our own hearts.

But the wise men didn’t stop at giving their gifts. They chose a different way home.

There came a season in my leadership journey when I realized I had carried the work as far as I could. Not because I didn’t love the school, but because I loved it deeply. I loved the team. I loved the students. I loved the life happening inside those walls enough to recognize that what lay ahead needed a leader with fresh eyes and renewed strength.

Down here in the south, we understand that there are moments when you hand over the keys to a truck you’ve driven for a long time. Not because the road wasn’t worth it or because you didn’t know every bend and bump by heart. You do it because you know someone with a new grip on the wheel and a full tank of gas might travel the next stretch of road with a clearer vision. 

Stepping aside wasn’t a weakness. It was stewardship. It was trusting that the foundation we had built together was strong enough to hold. My season hadn’t failed. It had simply run its course, like a field that’s given all it has and needs time to rest before the next planting.

As we move toward a new year, I hope you’ll pause long enough to consider your own “other route.” Where might it be time to loosen your grip? What might need to be released so something new can grow? Are you feeling a nudge toward rest or a new direction?

Leaders are good at carrying weight. We’re not always as good at laying it down. But the story of the Magi reminds us that encountering truth should change us, and sometimes that change shows up in the direction we choose next.

Leader Reflection

What do I need to leave so that I can step into the next season with renewed strength?

Leader Move

Choose one intentional shift as you enter the new year: a different rhythm, a healthier boundary, a more accurate alignment. Let this be your other way home.

Like the Wise Men, I won’t retrace my steps and go back the way I came. I do, however, look forward to the opportunities that may arise in 2026!!!

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