"And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:"
Matthew 20:28
Jesus explained to his apostles that they shouldn't be involved in power struggles, worried about dominion or authority over others, but instead, if they wanted to be in charge, they should be the servant. I think that this is true, and applies to us, both in church positions and in everyday life.
In our society that wisdom is questioned. In leadership classes, very often, they teach that you have to *want* to lead to be a good leader.. you have to have a drive for it. And perhaps there is some truth to that; I'm not sure. I do think though that the interpretation of what we have to want is sometimes off. To me, the wanting to lead is valuable in that you will be happier doing something that you enjoy doing and want to do... but in terms of wanting to be in charge, I think it is less that than wanting to serve and help and make things better. I think that is the requirement for leadership. Serving--getting that opportunity to help people and make things better--is a reward in itself. It isn't about power, but about making the world better, even if it is just a little tiny part of the world that you can influence. And whether we are bosses, or parents, or teachers, or CEOs, or preachers, or presidents, we all have areas that we can influence through our service.
Today, let's take advantage of the opportunities we have to lead and especially to serve. Let's dedicate our lives to making other lives better, and in so doing, leading the world in the kind of revolution that matters. One where we love and serve each other rather than playing king of the hill and elevating ourselves at the expense of others.
Matthew 20:28
Jesus explained to his apostles that they shouldn't be involved in power struggles, worried about dominion or authority over others, but instead, if they wanted to be in charge, they should be the servant. I think that this is true, and applies to us, both in church positions and in everyday life.
In our society that wisdom is questioned. In leadership classes, very often, they teach that you have to *want* to lead to be a good leader.. you have to have a drive for it. And perhaps there is some truth to that; I'm not sure. I do think though that the interpretation of what we have to want is sometimes off. To me, the wanting to lead is valuable in that you will be happier doing something that you enjoy doing and want to do... but in terms of wanting to be in charge, I think it is less that than wanting to serve and help and make things better. I think that is the requirement for leadership. Serving--getting that opportunity to help people and make things better--is a reward in itself. It isn't about power, but about making the world better, even if it is just a little tiny part of the world that you can influence. And whether we are bosses, or parents, or teachers, or CEOs, or preachers, or presidents, we all have areas that we can influence through our service.
Today, let's take advantage of the opportunities we have to lead and especially to serve. Let's dedicate our lives to making other lives better, and in so doing, leading the world in the kind of revolution that matters. One where we love and serve each other rather than playing king of the hill and elevating ourselves at the expense of others.
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