Leadership Worth Dying For
Memorial Day and the theology of sacrificial influence
Today is Memorial Day. Normally, Danielle and I have our Monday’s filled with watching our granddaughter. But since today is a holiday, it’s a bit quieter than normal around our house.
Like many people today, I find myself thinking about all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.
We won’t hear all their names announced today. No awards will be given. No social media highlights. Just…this day off.
But the reality is that more than 1.3 million men and women have given their lives to defend this nation and their sacrifice still shapes the freedoms we often take for granted.
Memorial Day has a way of cutting through the noise we live in. After all the backyard cookouts and retail sales (full transparency, I purchased a new mattress), it remains one of the few days that causes us to face a sobering reality: freedom isn’t free.
Memorial Day honors those who understand that more than anyone else, but it also teaches us something powerful about the kind of leadership we desperately need.
The Model We’ve Forgotten
Nobody gives their life for a cause they don’t believe in.
The men and women we remember didn’t sign up to be heroes. They simply believed some things were worth protecting, even if it cost them everything.
That kind of sacrifice forces a bigger question. One that every leader, every parent, every pastor, and every business owner needs to wrestle with:
What does your leadership cost you?
And maybe more importantly, what’s it producing in the people who follow you?
I opened up service at One City Church (the church I pastor) by connecting Memorial Day with a single sentence spoken by Jesus, just hours before He’d go to the cross.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
— John 15:13 (NIV)
Jesus spoke these words during His final hours with the disciples. The goal wasn’t to inspire them with a powerful speech. He simply wanted to prepare them for what love actually requires.
There was a lot packed into that one sentence. It was a warning. It was a call. It was truth.
Jesus knew what was coming. And in those final moment, he decided to call these men to carry the kind of love that costs something. A love that doesn’t just show up when it’s convenient. A love that leads even when it’s hard or when it hurts.
And I love how he wasn’t vague about it. He said plainly: if you want to understand the highest expression of love, look for someone who’s willing to die for another.
It’s the foundation of true leadership.
Real Leaders Carry Responsibility & Ownership
We’ve been trained to associate leadership with visibility. Bigger platforms. More recognition.
But if Memorial Day teaches us anything, it’s that greatness is more often hidden than celebrated.
The people we honor this weekend didn’t do it for the spotlight. They did it because someone had to.
And that’s the difference.
When leadership becomes about self, sacrifice feels like loss. But when leadership becomes about others, sacrifice feels like purpose.
You don’t have to be noticed to be necessary. Jesus didn’t say the greatest love is found in titles, accolades, or authority. He said it’s found in laying your life down. That’s not metaphorical. That’s leadership that is tranformational.
The Values That Matter Most Show Up When It’s Hardest to Live Them
Ask any veteran and they’ll tell you that when you’re under pressure, you don’t rise to the moment. You fall to your level of training.
That’s true in the military. And it’s true in leadership.
We say we value integrity, loyalty, people, and service. But what about when pressure hits?
What about when the numbers are down, when people disappoint you, when no one claps for what you’ve done? what shows up in those moments?
You can’t stand on a structure that hasn’t been built.
If your values haven’t been tested, then they are just theory. But if they remain intact during the hardest moments to walk them out, they’re beginning to move from your head to your heart.
When Jesus said "greater love has no one than this,” He was establishing a pattern for how love behaves under pressure. Love doesn’t retreat. Love remains steadfast.
You Can’t Lead Well Without Living for Something Bigger Than Yourself
At the heart of every sacrifice is a deeper conviction: this isn’t just about me.
That mindset isn’t automatic. It has to be built. And that’s probably what makes it so rare.
One of the most powerful things to understand about Jesus was that he didn’t teach these values, He modeled them.
And then He turned to His disciples and said: go do the same. That call still stands today.
Purpose-driven leaders are clear on who they’re serving. Who they’re lifting up. Who they’re building for…even if they never get the credit.
That’s why the greatest leaders don’t just build platforms. They build people.
Think about the people who’ve shaped your life the most. Chances are, they weren’t the loudest in the room. They may not have been the most charismatic or well dressed. They may not even have had much influence outside of you.
But, odds are, they showed up. They gave you time they didn’t have and belief you might not have been deserving of.
That’s why leadership must be rooted in purpose, not ego.
If the goal is build your ego and applause, you will feel lost the moment the room goes silent. And make no mistake about this…every room will have moments of silence.
Becoming a Sacrificial Leader
It’s one thing to be inspired by Memorial Day. It’s another to let it recalibrate how you lead.
Here’s a starting point:
1. Identify What You’re Willing to Lay Down
Every leader sacrifices something. Choose it intentionally. Is it comfort? Time? Control? Lay it down for something that matters.
2. Put Pressure on Your Values
Test them. Not when it’s easy, but when it’s costly. Ask yourself: do I believe this enough to bleed for it?
3. Anchor Your Leadership in Something Bigger
You weren’t made to just lead meetings. You were made to leave a mark. Lead in a way that still matters long after you’re gone.
Memorial Day glorifies purpose. It brings to the forefront the kind of purpose that makes a life worth remembering.
You don’t have to wear a uniform to lead like that. But you do have to decide who you’re doing it for.
Because when the lights are off and the numbers don’t impress and the applause is quiet…what’s going to keep you going?
It won’t be ego. It’ll be love. The kind of love that lays something down just like 1.3 million have done for our freedom.
And that’s the kind of leadership the world is desperate to see again.
What is something that you’re involved with that’s bigger than yourself? Comment below and let me know!
—Jared