One thing I have learned in life is this: leadership matters. It is not all that matters, but boy oh boy does it matter. Leaders come from dust and to dust they will return, and all the rest—but the quality of their leadership is as diverse as the day is long. The Bible illustrates this well. Samson was a crazed, insecure leader while Deborah was fearless and reliable and led out of confidence from the Lord. Both Esther and Mordecai led with boldness, putting others before themselves. David was a mixed bag, on fire for God one minute only to do the unthinkable the next. Sarah’s desperate plans blew up in her face, as she opted to exploit her servant instead of serving, leading, and protecting her. And we know Judas, the treasurer within Jesus’ band of brothers, is a prime example of the kind of leader you don’t want to be.

Being a pastor can be difficult for several reasons, one of which is that when pastoral leaders fail—abusing people, lying, or else excusing their brokenness—you can be viewed as guilty by association. People get more and more cynical of Christianity and therefore more and more critical of what you represent, even if you haven’t done anything wrong to them or anybody else. Even just in recent years, the list is long of ministry folks who not only dropped the ball on sanctified conduct, but then often went out of their way to hide or justify their sin: John Ortberg, Christopher Heuertz, Carl Lentz, Bill Hybels, Ravi Zacharias. This is a mere sampling of the famous stories we’re familiar with, not counting the myriad unknown pastoral leaders who don’t have bestselling books and mega-sized congregations and are just as disgraceful.

My heart bleeds whenever hearing of yet another pastor’s misdeeds, but I’ve learned it isn’t healthy to get triangulated into its gravitational pull, as if I should be ashamed of the vocation God’s called me to. The same is true of the work, hobbies, and stage of life you find yourself in. You cannot let the rancorous, ungodly conduct of others force you to hide or dim your light. It can be scary, I know, but it’s better to stand up for what is right. This statement is attributed to Aldo Leopold: “Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching—even when doing the wrong thing is legal.” I often think about this considering Proverbs 10:9, which explains that, “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” How we live and lead matters to God. We can’t control others, but we can hold people, especially those in leadership roles, accountable for their conduct.