"Instead, whoever
wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must
be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and
to give his life as a ransom for many."
This Bible reading sure doesn’t fit with all the messages that we
hear everyday in the world. Books, TV, speakers, … all tell us how and what we need
to do to become "successful." "Success" seems to include money, fame
(or least some recognition), a nice house, cars, vacations to faraway places, etc. This is
what the world says it takes to be "great." Isn’t it interesting to hear
about the rich famous people who are sometimes very unhappy? Some people appear to
"have it all," and yet they aren’t happy or fulfilled. Maybe it’s
because they have missed the most important thing. Maybe God isn’t a part of their
lives. Maybe his message never reached them or they have forgotten about it temporarily.
All of us sometimes forget how God wants us to live and serve others.
If we stop and think, most of us will realize just what is important and what gives us
joy. As a child, I know I really looked forward to getting new things at Christmas or on
my birthday. Now that I am an adult, I really enjoy making gifts or shopping for others.
Their joy in receiving the gifts is more fulfilling than opening my own gifts. In the same
way, we can do little acts of kindness for others. These acts are important to our friend
or family member, but they are also important to us in our roles as children of God. Jesus
not only served people, but he gave his life for all mankind. When we think about that,
surely we will want to emulate him as much as we possibly can.
