“…whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant. Whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:26-28
You may have heard the quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet “to be or not to be, that is the question.” Perhaps if Shakespeare wrote about today’s gospel from Matthew 20:17-28, it might go something like this “to serve or not to serve, that is the question.”
We are half way through our second week of Lent and the journey continues. A few days ago, I wrote about our purpose and that the root was LOVE and that God gives us the tools to fulfill that purpose.
Some of us are given a natural gift of service and others, well, we have to work harder at it.
In my blog yesterday, I wrote about working hard and how it not only bore good fruit but bad. As I continue to break open the deeper core of who I really am, I also identified another characteristic that the enemy used to his advantage – independence. A few drivers come from the “one man show” of independence – I don’t need anyone to help me, and I don’t need to help anyone else. My early adulthood, this had become me. There were some things going on in my life that heavily weighed into this mentality that I had accepted. If I wanted it, I was the only one who was going to make it happen. Resistance and barriers were put in my way and to tear them down I had to stand up, say no and press on to achieve my goals.
Serving other was not on my agenda.
God is so amazing in how He works and creates newness from difficult circumstances. He knocked me down from my horse and opened my eyes. Several events happened in my life that caused me to have to rely on the service of others. I remember being in the ER, waiting for surgery and crying because I had no control of my situation and I needed help to make sure my girls were taken care of. God showed up in the form of several faithful women and He poured me a cup that overflowed with the love of their service.
I am one of those persons who has to work hard at serving others and being served.
Serving others is a grave act of love. Jesus teaches us in his own actions. And he pours out the fullness of God’s love through his service as he gave himself completely. That’s what God calls us to do in serving one another. To place another individual ahead of ourselves. Making small sacrifices to awaken huge differences in another’s path.
Today, we are being called to service in our Lenten journey. I invite you to start in your home and identify the selfless acts, the sacrifices you can make to serve your family. As the week continues, perhaps find someone who needs help but is afraid to ask. Offer yourself to serve their needs.
Lord, I invite You into the depth of my heart to show me where I can better serve my family and my community. When it seems difficult to offer myself to another, tear down the wall that keeps me from doing so. Let me be Your hands and feet to serve your children through Your love that You pour into my heart. Amen
Women Who Walk By Faith 
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