I Get To Serve

"I have to head into the office today."

"I have to fly to Dallas in the morning."

"I have to be at the church at 8:00 a.m. to get the HVAC online."

Servant Leader, how frequently do we "have" to do things for others? Sometimes it seems counterintuitive. We apply for a job, spend years developing relationships and knowledge that help us perform at our best, and then sabotage our own efforts by turning the position into something akin to indentured servitude. We serve, but begrudgingly. It becomes inconvenient to go into the office when we've been working remotely for the last 18 months. We would prefer to stay local, not hop on a flight to Dallas to work with the team in person. Even worse, we drag ourselves out of bed early on a Sunday to get the building ready for church, not because we want to and enjoy it, but because no one else will do it.

That's not servant leadership. That's the same mindset any other employee of any other company brings to the job. But how did we get here?

Most of us need employment to pay the bills. Those of us who are responsible stewards will earn a living that allows us to live the lifestyle we choose without sacrificing necessities or racking up punishing levels of debt. Some of us are responsible stewards, but we are stuck in a cycle of poverty that is beyond our control. We are excited to start that new opportunity that brings fulfillment and pays the bills. But somewhere along the line we lose that enthusiasm and the job becomes a chore.

Servant Leader, we don't have to work. We get to work. We don't have to go into the office today. We get to go into the office today. We don't have to fly to Dallas, or Washington, or Miami - we get to.

In his letter to the church at Colossus, Paul wrote not of the drudgery of servitude, but of the joy of service.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Col 3:23-24, NIV)

Read that again, Servant Leader. Nowhere in that passage did Paul say, "You have no choice. You have to work as if the Lord is the recipient. You have to perform for your human masters, but because you don't have the choice, the Lord will reward you." Nope. He said, "work at it with all your heart." That's pretty clear. Work with your heart, not your head. Realize that God has given us the opportunity to serve in every way and everywhere. We get to serve at work. We get to serve at home. We get to serve at church.

Keep this in mind as well. Like joy, service is a choice. When we choose to serve, we choose to follow Christ's teachings. We choose to be His hands and His feet. And we choose to be the light in a world so filled with darkness.

We get to serve.

(Photo: 2nd MARDIV)