The parable of the ten virgins was told by Jesus and can be found in Matthew 25:1-13. The Bible says that five of the virgins were wise and five were foolish. All ten of them went forth to meet the bridegroom. The five who were foolish took their lamps but took no oil with them. But the five who were wise took their lamps and took oil with them. As they waited for the Bridegroom, there was a delay, and they fell asleep. Then at midnight, there was a cry saying, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” All the virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. At that point, the foolish realised that they would need some oil and said to those who were wise, “Please give us some of your oil.” But the wise, said, “No we can’t do that because it will not be enough for us and you. Go to those that sell and buy for yourselves.” (Paraphrased) As the foolish went out to buy oil, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready entered the feast with him, and the door was shut against those who were not ready.
The Leadership Lessons from the Ten Virgins;
- The wise sleep after they have worked. The foolish sleep because it is nighttime. When you are unprepared, you have no business sleeping. Sleep is for those who have worked and are tired and need to refresh themselves. Just because it is nighttime and others are sleeping, is no reason for you to sleep. You could turn it into preparation time.
- The wise are not afraid to say no. Don’t be afraid to say no. Many people do not know how to say no, and so they take on problems that are not theirs, and it stops them from making progress in their own lives. Wise people know when and how to say no. They also know that saying no doesn’t make them selfish or wicked, but it ensures that they can walk in their God-given purpose and fulfil If the wise virgins did not say no to the foolish virgins, they would have been shut out of the banquet too. Learn to say no without feeling guilty. Life is full of choices. If someone has made a choice to be sloppy, that should not become your problem.
- Don’t put yourself into trouble to help those who have acted foolishly. Many people get into problems that were originally not theirs but became theirs when they tried to help someone else. Discern when to help and when to back away. If you can’t swim, it will amount to foolishness to jump into the pool to save someone who is drowning. You will not be able to save him, and you will lose your own life. That is not kindness; it is foolishness. Know the difference. The wise virgins did, and wise women do.
- It’s one thing to get the breaks it’s another to be prepared for them. Success happens only when preparation meets opportunity. If you are not prepared when the opportunity shows up, you won’t succeed.
- There is a time for everything. Know what to do at each point in time. The foolish virgins went out to buy oil at a time when they should have gone to the feast. That was not the time to buy oil. They had had an opportunity to buy oil earlier, but they didn’t. Until you realise that everything has a time and you learn to do things at the appointed time, you will not experience success.
- The wise do not leave until later what they can do now. Procrastination steals time and opportunities. Procrastination is a major reason why the five foolish virgins missed their opportunity. No doubt they saw the five wise virgins take extra oil, but they must have thought, we don’t need it now, we’ll get some when we need it, and when they did need it and went to get it, it cost them their opportunity to enter the feast.
- Discern when you have been given a second chance or opportunity. Sometimes we miss an opportunity, and we are given a second chance to get it right. The foolish virgins were given a second chance when the bridegroom delayed. Instead of sleeping, they should have gone to get some oil.
- When there is a delay, make the most use of it. When things go contrary to our plan, we need to see the blessing in it. When the bridegroom delayed coming, it was the perfect opportunity for the foolish virgins to go and get some oil. But instead, they slept off. The same is true for a lot of people. When they are waiting for someone or something, instead of utilising that time to do other things that would be beneficial, they sleep or engage in idle conversation that helps them in no way.
- When a door opens, that is not the time to prepare. Before the door opens, or before the opportunity presents itself, prepare. Find out what you need and ensure that you are ready to walk through the door when it does open.
- A door once opened will not stay open. At some point, if you do not enter, it will shut against you. Just as time doesn’t wait for us so also opportunity doesn’t wait for us. You are either ready or not. And if you are not ready, it moves on and leaves you behind. The wise, know this.
- Have foresight. Anticipate what you will need at every stage or in every situation and plan for its provision. The foolish virgins clearly had no foresight, and they paid dearly for it.
