At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. (2 Timothy 4:16, NIV)
Leadership can be exceptionally lonely at times and can feel deeply brutal, especially if we find ourselves feeling ill-treated by someone else or even a team or congregation. Paul was no exception to this deep pain. How do we navigate the fact that, at times, people will hurt us to the core? How do we become resilient, learn from it, grow from it, and even see redemption and fruitfulness flowing from it?
