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Thanksgiving has come and gone. Hopefully yours was spent with family and friends, maybe reminiscing about times in the past and wondering what the future may hold. I was so thankful for all the Lord has blessed me with at this junction of my life and excited for a future that includes a soon to be son-in-law. There truly is much gratitude in my heart.
As I thought about being blessed, I also reflected on giving. Of course giving always comes up at this time of year. We are thankful for our blessings and now we should give back. It is a theme that seems to tie Thanksgiving and Christmas together. At the core of it all is a long word that often gets overlooked: servanthood.
Servanthood is at the center of these two holidays, and it is at the center of leadership. I’ve recently been looking at the qualities Jesus modeled in His leadership here on Earth and servanthood is at the top. Certainly we see this type of leadership at Thanksgiving as many mothers get up early in the morning to sacrifice time and energy preparing a feast, serving their families, and at the same time leading a house full of people in such a special way.
This reminds me of my wife’s aunt, Jeanette. For years and years, we spent Thanksgiving weekend in Chicago. While we were there, Aunt Jeanette served everyone. She slaved to make a fantastic dinner, but her servanthood didn’t stop there. She made every day throughout the whole weekend great, serving sacrificially for all of us.
Of course leaders do more than just fix food to live out their servanthood. Leaders serve at all times, even when no one else is looking. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the leader of my school pick up trash in the hallway or put chairs up after an assembly. He never thinks that it is someone else’s job. He serves our community with a servanthood that is unmatched.
So what’s the connection between these two leaders? How did these two great examples reach that level of truly having a servant’s heart? These and many other servant leaders have based their being in four characteristics that lead to achieving a servant’s heart.
FAITH and TRUST in GOD
God sent His Son to earth for many reasons. One of those reasons was to be a model for us. Something He modeled so effortlessly was His servanthood. Jesus was obviously a great leader, but because His sacrificial self was just the norm, what sometimes goes unnoticed is His servant’s heart.
Think about story of the Son of God washing the disciples’ feet. Maybe words from Jesus will suffice. In Mark 10:45 Jesus says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” We know this model is correct, but if we don’t have faith and trust in the Lord, it will be virtually impossible to achieve a servant’s heart.
Our society has a “me-first” mentality. Everything you see and hear is driving you to “me time,” “self-help,” “do whatever makes you feel good.” All of these and more fly directly in the face of serving others. Only God can turn that selfish heart into a servant’s heart.
HUMILITY
“He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way” – Proverbs 25:9. Humility is important to the Lord and important to having a servant’s heart. After all, if we look to that ultimate model of Jesus, we never see Him signing autographs or looking for the spotlight. Instead He slips away and avoids the limelight. It is hard to truly have humility when you are worried about your image.
What if your servant’s heart leads you to lead others through cleaning toilets at a shelter for the homeless? If you lack humility, you may think this kind of task is beneath you. Serving others looks different in different scenarios, but the constant is that it is hard to lead with a servant’s heart if you can’t humble yourself.
The opposite of humility is pride. Pride will lead to a lack of respect in your leadership. “First pride, then the crash – the bigger the ego, the harder the fall” – Proverbs 16:18 (MSG). The wise book lives up to its name when it comes to humility. Humble yourself and the Lord will give you the servant’s heart you need to be an effective leader.
TRUE LOVE FOR OTHERS
This can be so confusing in today’s society. On one hand, the world tells you to be kind to everyone and really love one another. However, in the same breath society preaches to look out for yourself, do whatever feels good for you, and so on. If you happen to be married, you know that these two different views don’t jive. Truly loving someone means sacrifice, putting their needs before yours, and putting SELF in the backseat.
God is love, so it makes sense that being separate from Him is a lack of understanding how to truly love others. Danny Gokey, a former American Idol contestant and Christian artist, puts it best in his song Love God Love People. The title doesn’t say love people first, because God first shows us how to truly love. That authentic love of people makes the tenet of humility something that almost comes naturally.
Likewise, it is virtually impossible to have true humility without that true love and care for others. That love and care is like a hose to the blazing fire of pride. I admit that when I was younger, I didn’t have a relationship with God that allowed this to take place. My sacrificial giving of task, time or dollar was out of obligation. This isn’t a true love of people, and obligation will never lead you to leading with a servant’s heart. Thankfully God has shown me the difference in obligation and truly loving others.
SMALL THINGS
Recently some other guys and I have started a morning Bible study at a local restaurant. In one of our conversations the other day, an individual who is like my adopted little brother said something that really hit home. He said that he had always heard, “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” but that he had come to realize that was false. We should sweat the small things, because that’s how God often works.
Now of course I understand the saying and have probably used it a time to two, but oh, how right he was that God moves in the small things. In fact He molds leaders from those small things. Time and time again small things are mentioned in the Bible. Five small stones, faith the size of a mustard seed, the poor woman’s offering, a small rudder, o little town of Bethlehem…all small things.
Jesus in His leadership while here always used the small things to make the biggest impact. It was only a slight touch of His robe, but He noticed. He never overlooked the small things that made others know that He noticed them. Truly looking at the rich man, making eye contact, speaking to those whom no one else would, seeing how someone was hurting, actually listening to words that were spoken – Jesus used His senses to notice small things – small things that made a BIG difference.
I know that I have said in the past that I have a servant’s heart. However, after sitting down and working on this blog, I realize I still have a long way to go. Join me this holiday season at really working on following the mode of servanthood that Jesus so perfectly laid out for us. ‘Til next time, enjoy the advent season.
Great blog entry, Noah. The small things part really hit home. Happy Everything to you and yours this Season. I’m thankful for you!
Thanks so much Dana. Hope you guys have a great Christmas season.
Son, Dad says he is always proud of your blog. This one is high quality with a tremendous message. I thank the Lord that he has blessed me with such a son as you. I love you and your family. May God bless and keep you through this blessed season.
Son, I am always proud of your blog. This one is high quality with a tremendous message. I thank the Lord that he has blessed me with such a son as you. I love you and your family. May God bless and keep you through this blessed season.