March 18 – Servant Leadership

Today’s lesson is about Servant Leadership or being the best leader begins by being the best servant.

This faithbite is inspired both by our sermon this morning at church and all of my years in Alpha Phi Omega. Robert Greenleaf said “The servant-leader is a servant first. Becoming a servant-leader begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead.” As Pastor Wirsing said, who wakes up and says I want to be last? No one, well unless it is who has to wake up in the morning. I’ll take last any time. Many of us while we want to help others, get distracted by our own needs or what we think are needs. As Alice Roosevelt Longworth described her father: “My father always wanted to be the corpse at every funeral, the bride at every wedding and the baby at every christening”. I have to say, that is me. I love to be the center of attention. I love people to give me at-a-boys. I love people to go out of there way to do things for me. I love to hold court where people come to me for help.

I try to balance that with how I serve others. I love to lead and serve. I am rarely in balance on that but it is something I strive for.  I want to put others before myself. To put them first.

From Natoma Consulting


“Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
“What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
“We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with,” – Mark 10:35-39


When we think of the request of James and John, what does it mean to drink of the cup or be baptized with Jesus? It means to go through all of the hardships he will go through. To take the sins of the world on and to be crucified on the cross. That is an amazing tremendous choice. Who would want that? I know I wouldn’t. I’m glad that He has taken that for me. As we said during our confessional “Many times I would rather be served than serve someone else. In my flesh, I would love for everyone to cater to my wants and desires rather than me doing what I can to serve them.”

This is the struggle of servant leadership. To lead by serving. To follow, his example. I am far from it. There is a balance between self-care and giving everything you have. I do believe, that Jesus will allow us self-care and it will become evident through our unselfish service.

Are you willing to put people first? Are you willing to listen to your spirit rather than your flesh?

I am willing (with the help of God)

#77of365 #FaithBites #FaithJourney #ServantLeader

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