Learning to Be Servants

"Thinking like a servant is difficult because it challenges the basic problem of my life: I am, by nature, selfish. I think most about me. That's why humility is a daily struggle, a lesson I must relearn over and over. The opportunity to be a servant confronts me dozens of times a day, in which I'm given the choice to decide between meeting my needs or the needs of others. Self-denial is the core of servanthood."

My lovely Advance life group girls are currently learning about how to be servants for Christ. We've been asking ourselves and challenging ourselves with what the heart and the mind of a servant looks like. Characteristics of a faithful servant, the motivations behind serving, the identity of a servant, service starting in the mind. It's been challenging, encouraging, fruitful, life changing stuff!

Servanthood not as something you do, but as someone you are. A servant. Someone who serves others.

Rick Warren and his masterpiece Purpose Driven Life has been rocking my world. His writing is simple, to the point, straight forward, and convicting. We've been reading bits of it and rethinking on what it means to serve and how we can go out and choose every day, in every minute, to serve in love. It's really exciting stuff (ask my girls about their little, big, and huge loves - they'd love to share)!

Servanthood is redefined in the name of Christ. It's not something lowly or weak or embarrassing. It's Christ and it gives life and it's freedom and it's compassion. It is the very nature, the life and heartbeat of our call as Christians. Jesus came to serve. We serve God by serving others.

What's been most interesting to me (being a mind person) is the statement that 'service starts in the mind' (it has its own post). Really? It starts there?? But it has to start there. If you're not thinking about others, then are you really putting them first? And if you can't put other people first, then how can your actions really serve them? Because I can move my hands and move my feet and smile really big - but am I really thinking from a mind and heart of Christ? Do I do it for my glory? Self-denial is the core, the core, of servanthood. Hello.

Read this from Purpose Driven Life - "Henri Nouwen said, 'In order to be of service to others we have to die to them; that is, we have to give up measuring our meaning and value with the yardstick of others.. thus we become free to be compassionate.' When you base your worth and identity on your relationship to Christ, you are freed from the expectations of others, and that allows you to really serve them best."

Being a servant is freedom. When we root our identity in Christ and then give our lives away, to Christ and to others, we are free to love! Free to be compassionate, free to serve, free from expectations, free to be vessels of His Spirit. Free.

We, as a group, are in the process of developing compassion and the habit of intentional, servant love. It's been a joy and a challenge and a charge to intentionally think on someone other than ourselves, to break pride and self righteous thoughts, to contemplate on every day, every minute as opportunities to love, and to serve without recognition. We've wrestled with the impact our actions have - what we do feels so small compared to all the world and its suffering - but then we come around to the impact of a big God who is faithful. One small piece is God's purpose and that one small, faithful piece is enough.

So many more good thoughts as we continue to mold each other! A blog series?

I'm so proud of my girls.