Perceptions #33

Make Me a Servant

by Mark Pugh

At the very heart and center of every society since the dawn of time has been self interest. The "what's in it for me" philosophy runs deep in the American psyche. Jesus Christ brought a radically different notion with his ministry. The idea that the "first would be last," was revolutionary. The teaching of greatness through being a servant is foreign to many today.

In a prosperous economy, the appeal of servanthood declines even more. Not only does being a servant lose its appeal, but doing anything that smacks of being a servant is frowned upon. Jobs in the service industry go wanting because many people feel that the job is demeaning or beneath them.

As Christians, we reject the call of servanthood at a price. The price is the rejection of the model of the very Son of God. After washing his disciple's feet in John 13, Jesus said, "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet." Servanthood. . .it is the essence of what our faith is all about!

Mark's e-mail address is: mspugh@hotmail.com

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