King Richard is known as Richard the lion-hearted for his courage and bravery. David is known as a man after God’s own heart. I want to be known as Priscilla the servant-hearted. Mark 10:43 says “whoever wants to be great must become a servant.” In our self-serving culture, being a servant is not a popular concept. Often, it is associated with being a push-over, walked-on, or weak. Contrary to popular belief, the Bible says that God will exalt the least. Jesus taught, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very least, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35). We are called to have the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who “made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant… he humbled himself” (Philippians 2:5-8). Most of my life, I have been praised for my acts of service, looking out for children, disabled, and the elderly. I’ve been called a servant because I serve food to others before myself. During training camp, it was my acts of service while we were camping that caught the attention of one of my teammates. Still, it is possible to perform acts of service your whole life and still not be servant-hearted.
Being servant-hearted means making myself available to do what’s needed even when it’s inconvenient. When my sister asks me to do her a favor and get towels from the other building when I just came in from the pouring rain carefully weaving my way around the puddles, I should have immediately responded and went back out. Servants are frequently inconvenienced, often sacrificing their own comfort and status quo. But isn’t that exactly what Jesus did for us? He came from his perfect heavenly home to be born in a stable, walk many kilometers on earth with no place to rest his head, and die an unjust cruel death on a cross. In striving to have the character of Christ, I just may be inconvenienced once in a while.
Being servant-hearted means seeking out opportunities and seizing those opportunities with spontaneity and sensitivity. How many times have I thought, “I should have…” or “I could have…” and wished that I had acted upon God’s prompting to speak out or act? How many times have I walked around in my own head without noticing others around me? It is incredibly easy to walk by millions of people in Chicago and not truly see a single person and his or her needs. However, a servant opens his or her eyes and prays for opportunities to encourage, uplift, and strengthen another (not unlike an ATL at all times).
Being servant-hearted means doing everything with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Ordinary, menial tasks, which are quickly overlooked by others, demonstrate a heart that is turned outward instead of inward. If I am faithful in the ordinary things, God will enable me to do the extraordinary things. So many times I’ve asked God for miracles, for the gift of healing, and His answer is “Are you faithful with the ordinary things I have already given you?” I don’t think I can honestly say that I am giving my everything like the widow who gave her two very small copper coins. Jesus teaches, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on.” (Luke 12:43-44) If I haven’t already put in everything, how can I expect God to entrust me with more?
Above all, being servant-hearted means not expecting acknowledgment or a reward. When I don’t receive a “thank you,” I should not feel disappointed and when I do, I should humbly accept it but not allow it to become a distraction. From the beginning, the World Race has encouraged us to surrender our rights and expectations. My rights say that I deserve acknowledgment for the good things I do. My expectations say it would be rude and impolite for others not to praise me for the good things I do. We even teach our children through a reward/punishment system that conditions them to do good for a reward. But God says he sees the obscure and seemingly insignificant things and blesses those who are humble (Matthew 5:5).
God is teaching me to be a Mary, when most of my life I have been a Martha (Luke 10:38-42), taking care of the details behind the scene, taking care of things overlooked because it brought pleasure and praise to me. The fallen, broken part of me expects the acknowledgment, gratitude, and praise of others when I perform a service. The fallen, broken part of me desires the fulfillment and pleasure of noticing and meeting needs others don’t. The fallen, broken part of me wants to serve when it is convenient to me or when I feel like it and selfishly claim my own rights when I don’t want to. The Martha part of me gets caught up in the act of serving and forgets the heart, the motivation, the intention, the purpose, and the one I am serving. But I no longer live in my sin nature. I am a new creation, forgiven, and redeemed (Galatians 2:20). The one who created me, forgave me, and redeemed me, is the same one who lived servant-hearted. So, I will live to serve for an audience of one.
