Matthew 20:26 "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant"
Yesterday morning I held my Moms hand as Jesus took her home. As I thought about this Tuesday's bible study, I didn't want to write one. But it's a ministry, and Mom frowns on us not serving well, so I picked a verse she has modeled for me.
Jesus told His disciples that what the world considers great is actually the opposite of greatness. It is not about power and getting your way. It is about being so satisfied with Christ that your needs are already met, and you are free to love, and serve other people.
My mom was Great. Not because she was a talented musician who played in University bands, and professional orchestras. Not because she was an amazing English teacher. Not because she was a talented artist. Those made her outstanding, but they did not make her great.
What made her great is that she spent her life showing me, and countless others, how to put hands and feet on love and make it come alive.
As I grew up, our house was full of people being served. Whether Mom was tutoring students, or hosting church parties, she was always ministering to others.
When my sisters and I where young, the whole Youth Department of First Baptist Church Houston would regularly come to our house on Sunday nights for fellowships.
Once the entire Baylor football team had tamales at our house on short notice, and she never mentioned it...
I had friends who, when they needed a place to stay, lived in our house until they got situated .... I thought this was normal. Serving was so natural to her that I never even noticed it until I got older.
Even during this final hospital stay she was more concerned that I wasn't getting enough sleep than she was for herself. She never retired from being a good and faithful servant.
I have learned by watching. I have seen greatness..and though I have not achieved it, I have a clear understanding of what it looks like.
By God's own definition, this world has now lost some of it's greatness. My request is that you honor my mom by carrying on her work, and bring a little greatness back into this world by becoming a servant to someone else.
"The measure of a man’s greatness is not the number of servants he has, but the number of people he serves" - J. Hagee
No comments:
Post a Comment