Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:05):
Hey friends, welcome
back to Entrusted to Lead.
I'm your host, Daniita Cummins,and if you're here today, it
tells me a little somethingabout you.
One, you care about the way youshow up as a leader.
Two, you want God at the centerof your decisions, and three,
you want your influence tomatter, not just for today, but
for the future.
But it also tells me that you'reintentional about making your
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leadership reflect Christ morethan today's culture, which I
think is super important.
And so we're gonna explore todaywhat it really means to create a
legacy of faith-drivenleadership.
So I want you to grab your cupof coffee, settle in wherever
you're at, and let's getstarted.
Leadership can feel really heavysometimes, especially when
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you're carrying vision andpeople and purpose all in your
shoulders, all at the same time.
You have got a big mission, butthe strategy feels fuzzy, and
your team is looking at you forclarity that you're not sure you
actually have.
I get it.
It's hard.
I'm Danita Cummins.
I help faith-driven leaders likeyou find clarity, align with
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your values, and lead withconfidence without burning out,
because that's never okay.
If you're ready to get unstuck,lead your team with courage and
to turn that God-given visioninto strategy that really works.
I want us to talk.
Take the free leadership clarityquiz that I've created today,
and I want you to schedule yourno-pressure coaching call
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because together we can uncoverwhat's holding you back and how
to move forward in faith andconfidence.
A few days ago, while I wasstraightening up my desk, I came
across a little note for mydaughter.
And I've probably moved itaround my office like a hundred
times.
Depending upon the season, myhusband says I just move piles.
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I'm not really actually cleaninganything, they're just going
from one drawer to the other.
Can you relate?
Maybe.
But that note simply said, Hi,you're doing amazing.
And I smiled because even thoughit's just this tiny little
yellow post-it, the messagefeels really big.
It reminded me of how powerful asimple encouragement can be, and
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how often leaders need someoneto remind us that we're doing
better than we think.
Maybe that's what you needed tohear today, too.
So I just want you to know, hi,you're doing amazing.
Because those of us who lead, wecarry a lot.
We hold vision andresponsibility and expectations
and decisions and people andcalling all in one big messy box
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called life and leadership.
And sometimes, friend, we justneed someone to look at us and
say, hi, you're doing amazing.
Keep going because God sees you.
And so do I.
That little note that Alyssaleft is what sparked today's
conversation because it remindedme that the legacy we're
building isn't formed in bigpublic moments.
It's woven into the smalleveryday ones, the ones where we
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choose presence, attentiveness,courage, kindness, truth, and
obedience.
Today I want to talk to youabout the legacy that you are
building right where you are.
Because when we think aboutlegacy as faith-driven leaders,
we usually are not thinking fameor recognition.
It's typically not whatmotivates us.
We're not chasing trophies orapplause, even though I do have
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a few plaques on my desk, I willadmit, and they bring me great
joy and great admiration andappreciation for the places
where I've been and the peoplethat I have been able to work
and serve alongside.
But most of us don't want to bein the spotlight directly.
We're not looking for fame andfortune, but our hearts are
turned towards deeper things,like the people that God has
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entrusted to us, which is superimportant to me, the spiritual
atmosphere in our homes orworkplaces or teams or
communities, the character thatwe're forming when no one else
sees us in these hard and messyspaces, and the example that
we're setting for the nextgeneration.
And whether we like it or not,we see this long-term impact of
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simple obedience.
Years ago, a colleague of minesaid, Danita, it's like you're
out there busting brush.
And I didn't really understandwhat he meant.
So he said, you know, when yougo into clear a field or clear a
forest, it's a very manualprocess.
You're chopping down one tree,one branch, one vine after
another.
It's exhausting.
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And you can get lost in theprocess.
But that is the crucible ofobedience.
It's one small, faithful step,one after another.
Legacy for faith-driven leadersisn't really about building
something big, not at the timein which we're called to do it.
It's more about buildingsomething that reflects God's
heart.
And through that process, thenHe multiplies and carries the
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impact.
So I think today, now more thanever, that really matters.
It matters in the kingdom, itmatters in encouraging and
building and strengthening ourfaith.
It definitely matters in ourworkplaces, wherever you work
and serve.
And it's super important for theworld.
I think that legacy is lessabout being known individually,
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being seen, and more about beingfaithful, both in the big and in
the little.
But let's be honest, because welike to be honest on the
podcast.
There are days when we don'tfeel like we're doing enough.
We have this like weird strivingmentality where we're constantly
measuring ourselves against somespectrum, either our calendar or
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our to-do list or our strategicplan.
But either way, life is reallyfull.
And we're already jugglingfamily and ministry and calling
and responsibilities.
And some of those we never askedfor, but we still carry them
every single day.
And sometimes we wonder whetherour leadership is making a
difference in the world in theway in which we hope, especially
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when we can't see the fruit.
But here's the truth that I wantto share with you today: one
that God continues to teach mein this season because I'm not
an expert.
I'm just a girl on a path, justlike you.
Legacy is shaped less by what wedo, and it's more by who we are
while we're doing it.
I truly believe that.
Character matters, integritymatters, presence matters,
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because legacy doesn't grow inthe spotlight.
It grows in the quiet, hiddenplaces, just like we see in
scripture.
God often pulled leaders awayinto solitude, into the desert,
into silence, so he could shapethem.
Legacy grows when we comfort aworried child, when we mentor
someone who needs direction, orwe pray before making a hard
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decision.
It also grows when we're thefirst ones to apologize, or when
we speak truth with kindness, orwhen we choose character over
convenience, or when we hold aneeded boundary, or when we
trust God when the path isn'tclear.
Those are the moments thatpeople remember, and those are
the moments that echo long afteryou and I are gone.
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You don't build legacy throughperfection.
I have learned that you build itthrough your presence.
Years ago, God asked me, What doyou have in your hand today,
Danita?
And that's all I asked you to dotoday.
That has become my leadershipposture and really my life
posture because I believe thatI'm entrusted to the person or
the thing that's standing infront of me today.
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And my job is to steward theirheart and their time and their
gifts for the season in whichGod has aligned them or assigned
them to me.
But leadership also carriesweight, and that weight can turn
into pressure because we startbelieving that we must know
every answer or fix everyproblem or meet every need or
carry every burden.
And we're not going to make theright decisions every time.
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We're just not.
So here's the reminder that Ithink we all need today is that
legacy is not built throughpressure, it's built through
alignment.
Alignment through God's voiceand his timing and his
assignments for this season.
I think that legacy grows whenwe slow down and when we listen
and when we release what God hasnever asked us to carry and when
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we lead with his wisdom, notthrough our own striving.
Because we don't have to hustlefor legacy.
It's not something that we cancreate or we own.
We grow it through ourfaithfulness.
So as we close out 2025 and westep into 26, we are going to
talk a little bit more aboutthis.
But today I wanted to give youthese three pillars of
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legacy-centered leadership.
The first one is you lead withclarity.
If you've been around thepodcast for, I don't know, this
entire year, you know thatclarity is like my number one
leadership value.
Because I think that claritycreates peace.
So when you're clear about whatGod is asking you to focus on,
you then become free to releaseeverything else that isn't
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yours.
So here's a simple prayer forevery season.
It's just a question where yousay, Lord, what is my assignment
for right now?
Not 10 years from now, not thewhole strategy and the
five-point plan.
But in this season, right now,right where your feet are
planted, what is God asking youto do?
Number two is to lead withconsistency, not perfection,
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just consistency.
We create small, faithful steps,and those steps add up over
time.
Like if you wanted to lose 10pounds, but you only took a walk
once a month, that's notconsistent.
You're not gonna have an impact.
So the same is true forleadership and for life.
Because our presence mattersmore than our performance.
Deep down inside, I think peopleare always asking, are you gonna
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be there today, tomorrow, nextweek?
Can I trust you?
Can I rely on you?
That's legacy.
Consistency builds trust.
And trust builds legacy.
And number three, lead withChrist-like character.
Of course, we're gonna say that.
It's a faith-driven leadershippodcast where we talk about
leadership and life.
But character is the part ofyour leadership that will
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outlive you forever.
One day people are not going totalk about your calendar, your
badge of busyness, yourproductivity, or your
accomplishments.
They're gonna say, She was kindand he was courageous, and she
had integrity, and he wasgenerous, and she was a woman
who led from her faith.
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Character is the legacy thatechoes the longest.
And every day, whether you likeit or not, you're planting seeds
of wisdom, encouragement,maturity, integrity, compassion,
excellence, and faith.
Those seeds are gonna outliveyou, friend, even if you never
see the fruit.
And you have to remember thatyou're not planting for
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applause, recognition,appreciation.
I think those are good things.
But you are planting for thekingdom and for an impact.
And God honors that.
So before you go, I want to saythis to you the same way my
daughter said it to me.
Hi, you're doing amazing.
Really.
Even on the messy days, evenwhen you feel like you're
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stretched thin, even when youwonder if anything you're doing
actually matters, I wanted tojust remind you today that it
does.
Your leadership matters, yourfaithfulness matters, your
character definitely matters,and your presence wherever you
are in the world, even if youcan't fix the problem, it does
matter, friend.
I believe that God is using yourreal, everyday, imperfect,
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surrendered, messy life to shapeothers in ways that you probably
will never see.
So today I want you to trustthat he's good.
I want you to trust that he'sworking all things together for
your good, just like Romans 8.28says.
And I want you to trust that hispurpose is way bigger than your
perspective.
So here's three questions toreflect on this week while
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you're walking or working ordoing the dishes, feeding the
cats, all the things, or maybeit's Thanksgiving where you're
listening to this and you've hada beautiful, amazing day filled
with gratitude and grace withyour family.
I want you to think about thesethree things.
Number one, where do I seeevidence of the legacy that I'm
already building?
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Just ask God to show youglimpses of the impact that you
may have overlooked.
Number two, which of the threepillars, clarity, consistency,
or character, is Godhighlighting to you right now?
One of those might stand out assomething that He wants you to
see or learn more about.
And number three, what seeds areyou planting today that align
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with the legacy that you want toleave?
And are those new seeds that Godis inviting you to plant in the
coming season?
Or are those fields in which Godis calling you to step away from
and to let them continue togrow, even if you'll never see
the fruit.
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So, friend, thanks for joiningme today.
Remember that little post-itnote that Alyssa said?
You are doing amazing.
I hope you have a beautiful,happy Thanksgiving if you're in
the United States of America, ifyou're around the world doing
something else.
I hope that you have a beautifulday filled with grace and
gratitude.
I hope that November is comingto a close and it's bringing you
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hope for tomorrow and a seasonof great reflection as you look
back on the year that has nodoubt, I'm sure, been busy for
many of us.
It has been ridiculous for us.
And I'm looking for a new seasonin 2026 filled with restoration
and wholeness and grace.
So I'll share more about that inDecember as we get ready to
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close out the year.
But I wanted to just say I hopethat you have an amazing day,
friend.
Thank you so much for everythingthat you've supported and done
and given and encouraged thisyear on the podcast.
Uh, it means the world to me, asalways.
And I hope that you have anamazing day.
I'll see you later.