Leading and serving
One truth about God’s ways is that they are almost always the exact opposite of what we might expect. Jesus blew His disciples’ minds when He sat down on the floor with a bowl of water and began to wash their feet. When He did so, He showed them – and us – the heart of a true leader.
Let’s be honest – when I’m leading something, most often what I’m focused on is the thing we’re trying to get done. I love people, and I’m usually serving with my close friends, but sometimes relationships take a back seat to the task.
I love what Neil has to say today: The true shepherd exercises spiritual leadership with the heart of a servant. As servants, we are subject to the needs of those we are called to lead.
He didn’t say, we should take people’s needs into consideration, or, we should deal with them as we can – he said, we are subject to their needs. I’ll admit – that bruises my pride just a little. If my heart was truly submitted, it probably wouldn’t.
It brings to mind another truth… Serving with people is messy. It’s my flesh that gets annoyed with interruptions and personality conflicts. When I get my priorities backwards, there’s lots of room for me to get grumpy. Caring for people comes first, and if that happens, the task will get done, maybe not within my time frame, but in God’s.
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