Tag Archives: Finding holiness in everyday activity

Do What Jesus Said: Serve Others

“The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” – Matthew 23:11-12

Serving others isn’t just what we do. It is a matter of growing our heart. It involves looking out not only for our own interests but also the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4). If you are a supervisor of 20 people, you are also called to serve those 20 people. S/he who is called to lead many is a servant of many.

Servanthood should not be mistaken for a doormat. But it definitely involves cultivating a humble heart. In all of scripture the message is consistent. Those who humble themselves before God and man will be lifted up. The prideful will always find their downfall.

Only the servant leader will be able to integrate spiritual and worklife. (In reality it IS only one life and it cannot be divided into components.) Only the servant leader will be able to manage leading a cause and maintaining spiritual integrity. Only those who serve can find holiness in everyday life. I like the way former Fortune 500 CEO and consultant James Autry describes it in his book, The Servant Leader:
“I’d read a lot of the stuff about how the journey is the destination and how growing spiritually is in the very process of spiritual growth, but I had managed to put that in some kind of compartment, as if spiritual growth was part of the list of things to do, stuck somewhere in there with cleaning the gutters and mowing the lawn: “Okay, I’ve grown spiritually, now where’s the hedge trimmer?”
It took a while but I finally got it: What I’d read was not about adding a spiritual growth compartment to my life but trying to live all my life with the daily consciousness of a potential for holiness in everything and with the realization that everything I do is part of something larger.
I realized that my spiritual journey, my connection with the sacred, could include such unlikely things as cleaning the gutters, mowing the lawn, trimming the hedge, changing diapers, doing the laundry, cooking meals, and even buying panty liners for my wife. (BT: reference to funny story earlier in the chapter) Of course, it’s easier in some places and with some activities than with others. For instance, working in my greenhouse or garden will always give me a holiness fix when I need it. Still, it’s possible anywhere.
Am I successful every day? Of course not. I still become impatient and frustrated. I still give in to just getting through the list and checking things off. But at least I am aware of when I’m falling short of my intentions, and I have come to believe that awareness of those failings may even be more important in the longer journey.”

BT: Servanthood isn’t just what we do. It is who we become in our journey to loving God and loving others. What can you do this week to nurture your servant heart?