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Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Matthew 20:26-28
A southern restaurant chain trains its employees to ask, "How may I serve you?" Management is always present, coaching these employees to treat customers well. This respect from the higher ups to the lowest tier of staff reflects on the customer. For customers, it is truly worth the drive to be treated so well. It's definitely nicer than the grunt or glare often offered by other establishments.
What if we all chose to treat others this way? And when I say all, I mean all: husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, friends, employers and employees, students and teachers.
Last night, our family had another of those crazy nights. One son had to be here the exact same time the other one had to be there (both 20 minutes from home and in opposite directions). Our little one was ready for bed. We needed milk. And I had a meeting. To make it happen, my husband and I kept track by cell, adjusting on the fly.
I called him yet again (football practice might be canceled because of rain... adjustment number seventy-three, or so it seemed). He picked up on the second ring and asked lightly, "How may I serve you?"
In that moment, the schedule chaos melted away. I smiled. Then I filled him in on the football dilemma and we said our good-byes. But the feeling lingered all through the evening.
"How may I serve you?" What if we all carried this attitude? What if, when a meeting goes bad, rather than push our own agenda, we chose to inquire, "How can I make this happen for you?" What if, when our kids throw a tantrum, instead of growing frustrated, we asked, "How can I help you get through this?" What if we honored one another, putting their needs ahead of ours?
Today, dear God, help me to live like Jesus. Help me remember that just as He came to serve, I can serve. It's not about me!
5 comments:
Servant hearts ... one of my passions. Sometimes as adults we're good at BEING servants, but not so good at training our children to be the same. Sure, they see our example. But are we intentionally teaching and allowing them to be cheerful servants? Thanks for the post!
I love it. That's all I can say. Your awesome. Please God, help me to remember those 5 little words that pack such a powerful punch. "How may I serve you."
Great words today.
Love you!
Leigh
AS ALWAYS your words went straight to the heart!!! I'm gonna try this one with my husband and kids! Should be interesting! ♥
You forgot to mention the two people at football practice, one who willingly jumped in to serve you and the other (who shall remain nameless, but I think her initials are MT) who did not.
MT... I LOVE YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!!! :)
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