The Furnace of LeadershipSample

When the People Closest to You Wound You Most

Joseph was just obeying. He was just checking in. He was merely doing what his father asked him to. And still, his brothers stripped him of everything.

The people who were supposed to know him best—the ones who shared his blood and childhood and table—were the ones who threw him into a pit, sat down to eat, and then sold him off like he meant nothing to them.

Sometimes, it’s not your enemies who break you. It’s your brothers. The team you trusted. The leaders you looked up to. The people you poured into. The ones who saw you coming and decided you were a threat.

Friends, one thing I can tell you for certain—Leadership will break your heart.

You’ll feel it when someone you mentored betrays your trust. When teammates exclude you, misread you, or talk behind your back. When those closest to you hurt you in ways no outsider ever could. And like Joseph, you may find yourself in a pit wondering, “How did it get this bad?”

But here’s the thing: pits don’t cancel purpose. They prepare you for it. What others meant for evil, God is already weaving into the story He’s writing with your life.

Dear leader, my encouragement to you today is this: Even when it feels like you’ve been forgotten, heaven has not lost sight of you.

Reflection/Discussion Questions:

• Are you carrying wounds from people you thought you could trust in your leadership journey?
• How have you responded to betrayal or rejection from “your own”?
• What would it look like to grieve honestly and still trust God with your story?