Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’
Being a part of Ma and Pa’s family means that you can expect to hear them shouting your name throughout the day, calling you to come because they want you to do something for them. At first I marveled at how these kids would respond immediately to Ma and Pa’s requests, even if Ma and Pa aren’t actually their parents. In less than a week, my name was added to the list of names you would hear being shouted throughout the day. Most of the time, the request was simple: make tea/coffee for me please. However, as the week went on, the novelty of it wore off and I came to resent hearing my name being shouted. In my pride, I questioned, “Don’t they see how I’ve served them when I wasn’t asked to? Why, then, are they asking me to do this menial task for them? What about all the other people who haven’t been helping out as much around here?”
Venting my frustrations to one of my teammates, he pointed out to me that if we are truly servants, then we shouldn’t be surprised when people begin to treat us like one.
Do I really want to be a servant if that’s how I’m going to be treated? I knew my heart needed to change but this one’s a hard one.
Then this came to mind:
…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:43-45)
In placing me in places where I’d be ordered around, giving me opportunities to serve and a teensy tiny taste of what it means to be a slave, I realized that God, in His grace towards me, is calling me to greatness.
I’m starting to understand that Jesus really did mean the things he said and that the kingdom of God really is as counterintuitive as others have said it is. Thank you, Ma and Pa, for helping to teach me this valuable lesson and for considering me a part of your family. God-willing, with time, I will have the true heart of a servant. In the meanwhile, I ask for grace as I continue to undergo this messy heart transplant.
