The call to servanthood
Have you ever thought about what a Christian should look like? I don’t mean the physical appearance like clothes, hair, tattoos, piercings and the like. I mean what should a Christian really seem to be, particularly from an unbeliever’s point of view?
Some believers are bold with an “in-your-face” approach to life. They have strong convictions and declare them readily and strongly to whomever they encounter. They tend to dominate and overwhelm.
Some are all about charisma. They seem to think that people would be drawn to them and their public “light up” personality like a moth to a flame. These folks enjoy talking about themselves and all of their escapades and what they have achieved for the Kingdom.
Still others want to hammer home their faith. They have read the best theologians and can reduce the conversation about Jesus to a heady analysis that would make most heads swim. They love talking about the things of Jesus and the Scriptures in lofty terms, proud of their words that no one else knows or uses.
Many have made “Christian” distasteful. They live their follower life down a wonderfully holy path around believers and church and small groups and such. Sadly, they take a different daily path as their lives follow an obnoxious road that tells people the tale of who they really are.
Some want no one to know who they are. They live a hidden faith, covered over and known only to the God they claim to serve.
I have mulled over this a great deal. The best examples of who we are and are to be are humble servants. Servanthood was what Jesus was all about. Serving others with genuine humility is what being a Christian really is. It is also so very foreign to our nature as humans. We want recognition. We want to be known. Every one of us wants it – for our “strong” personalities, our eloquent though pompous words and ways, our brilliance in every kind of direction.
Servers are seldom acknowledged. They live to serve others and put them first. They need no accolades. Their personalities are strong in gentle, kind, and good ways. They don’t speak of the Word and Jesus in lofty cerebral terms. They know the simple, practical truth of Jesus and the Word of God. They share that grace and goodness through their lives and words. Their fruit is the simple life help that people are longing for and looking to receive from someone.
God give me a humble spirit. When I am gone, may people remember me as a person who truly showed the real Jesus, the humble servant, to the world around.
