On the weekends, I’m often reminded of my innate disdain of servitude.
I spend hours picking up teeny tiny Lego pieces scattered all over the floor. I scrub pet stains for what seems like days on end, only to encounter another. . . and another. I make dinner while my family plays then wash dishes and clean up while they play some more. I finish folding the last load of towels, only to find a hamper full of muddy clothes right behind me. (you Love and Logic folks out there… now is not the time to judge. 😉 I’m on your side, but it’s a process!)
Yesterday, I actually heard myself say, Y’all have fun. I’ll just stay here and clean everything up!
Do you have experiences like this?
Maybe it’s at work. You wait hand and foot on customers who only demand more service? You break your back to make sure the company earns enough to pay your employees only to hear them ask for more pay? You offer a discount only to find folks looking for the next, better, cheaper deal?
The whole idea of serving as a leader has been on my mind a lot.
My sweet friend Angela posted this quote by David Jeremiah on Facebook recently and I haven’t been able to get it off my mind. “If you ever wonder if you truly have the heart of a servant, just ask yourself how you feel when you are treated like one?”
Ouch.
I know how I feel. I grumble and complain. I tell myself stories in my mind about how others are intentionally treating me poorly.
The truth is, they aren’t. But it’s not about their intentions anyway.
It’s about my heart.
The only thing I can control is my heart. Do I care about these people? Do I want to enrich their lives and their experiences? Do I truly want the best for them?
If I do, I should serve them. And I should do it with a cheerful heart.
I should look for ways I can make their lives better.
I should be at their service.
It’s funny how those words instantly invoke a feeling of less-than. When it’s really the most valuable role we have in our lives. When we serve, we have the opportunity to enrich the lives of others.
Who are you serving today?
How would your day be different if you purposed in your heart to give of yourself generously, without the internal grumbling?
How would their day be different?
How might their lives be different?
It all starts with you.
To more love,
Crystal
When the best leader’s work is done, the people say, “We did it ourselves.” Lao Tzo
