It’s always great around Easter to get a chocolate bunny. But, over the years, I’ve learned to temper my excitement until I better examine the bunny. Some are made of pure chocolate and I’m joyfully forced to figure out how to consume so much chocolate.

But, other chocolate bunnies hold a dark secret. They may look as amazing as other bunnies, but inside- they’re hollow!

Picking up these bunnies I feel like I’ve been tricked or hoodwinked into hoping for a high quality chocolate bunny. Instead, I’m holding a hollow Easter imposter. As a leader, I think there’s a lot to learn from chocolate bunnies.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about small group leaders and what God does in a leader’s life through leading. I think so many leaders look nice on the outside, but inside we’re hollow.

It also reminds me of a picture I saw not too long ago. It’s a tree that’s been cut down.  On the outside it looks healthy and strong, but inside it’s all rotted out . I can’t help but wonder how many of us as leaders are just like a hollow chocolate bunny or rotted out tree. We try to look good on the outside, but inside we’re cold, dying, and disconnected. We care for others out of duty or habit, but there’s no life in us.

I think that’s why Jesus said in John 15:5, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” He knew that unless we constantly connect ourselves to Jesus, we will begin to die on the inside. It’s only as we spent time with Him that we gain perspective for why we lead, and the energy to get the job done.

As I’ve been meeting with leaders recently, I keep getting drawn back to this picture of the rotted out tree trunk. I don’t want to be like that. I want people to be able to cut me open at any time (metaphorically speaking of course) and find life inside me. I want people to be able to see Jesus working inside me. And that’s what I want for all our leaders.

Jesus also said in John 15 that if we’re not connected to him, we’ll never produce any significant spiritual fruit. Yeah, we may “get the job done”, but we’ll never make an impact that matters.

If you want to make an impact in the life of others, don’t allow yourself to be a hollow chocolate bunny or rotted out tree trunk. Connect with God. Allow Him to challenge you, speak to you, convict you, and change you.

Questions to ask yourself:

• How would you describe what’s going on inside you? (pure chocolate or hollow bunny?)
• What things in your life draw you away from running to God for filling? (What do you run to instead?)
• What is God saying to you?

Maybe this week, burn John 15:5 in your brain, “Apart from me you can do nothing!” You can’t change. You can’t break your habits. You can’t become the person you want to. You can’t make a difference in someone else’s life. You can’t do anything spiritually significant without Jesus.