276 – Letting Others Go First

#faithbites #faithjourney letting

I am a man with a plan. I have a direction in my head and do what I need to accomplish that. One way it manifests itself is doing simple tasks like cooking in the kitchen or walking down the hallway. If I am cooking in the kitchen and someone steps in my path or gets in my way where I’m heading, I get a little upset. Tonight, I was trying to walk down the stairs and my youngest kept walking in front of me. That irks me like nothing else. (I know, it’s like I expect everyone to read my mind and know exactly where I am heading. But in those moments, rationality isn’t at the forefront).

Call this part of anxiety. Call it part of being a control freak or a type A. But it irks me. Tonight though, after my youngest stepping in front of me 5 times, I hung back a bit. I let her go first. And guess what? It was ok. I let her do what she needed to do, then I did what I needed to do. Maybe I lost 5 seconds, but did it matter? By letting her go first, she did what she needed and I was ok.

In life, are there times that we win by letting others go first?

Scripture

• So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” – Matthew 20:16
• The greatest among you will be your servant – Matthew 23:11
• 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” – Mark 10:45

Reflection

Servant Leadership is something we have discussed before and it emphasized throughout the New Testament. Jesus was the epitome of servant leadership. From the Matthew verses (the last being first and your servant will be the greatest) to the Mark verse of Jesus being one to serve, we have an example to follow.

Maybe letting someone walk in front of me isn’t servant leadership. But it does show that we need to have humility and to let others take the led. To let them go first and we are there to help them. A prime example is with my youngest and Band-Aids, which she looks to as an accessory rather than a healing aid. I can put on a bandage much quicker than her, in a better way, and in a way that doesn’t waste a bandage. But when she does it, she is learning. I have to wait for her to ask for help.

This shows us that we need to let others do and go first, then we help them when they want it. This is not easy. It is something that takes a lifetime of work.

Charge

When in your life can to let others go first? Maybe it makes you 5 second late. Maybe someone else gets the last chip. But maybe, they have learned to do something on their own. Maybe they have seen that you can give them a chance to shine. Take a minute to look at the simple things from walking in front of someone to always volunteering to do something. Can you serve even more by letting others lead?

Lord, help me to be patient and kind. Give me the strength to take a back seat and let others surge to the front. Fill me with a sense of servitude and accomplishment by helping others achieve their dreams.