Yesterday, I posed a question to my three educator children as to the traits they would like to see in the lives of students that they had taught or worked with in their school environment. One such trait, mentioned by each, had to do with the idea of servanthood, or consideration of others more than themselves.
That led me this morning, after reading Chambers devotional for today, to think about how this is reflected in the life of a person.
The example that comes to my mind on a human level comes from my experience on the Walk to Emmaus, a weekend spiritual retreat that I went on some years back. I remember being overwhelmed when I realized that there were people, designated as "angels", that had cleaned the toilets and showers each and every day of our stay, and that they had paid for the privilege of doing so, just so that we would have an uncluttered experience with God.
Of course the highest example of this is found in Phil. 2 where Paul reminds those folks:
(Jesus)
who though He existed in the form of God
did not regard equality with God
as something to be grasped,
but emptied Himself
by taking on the form of a slave,
by looking like other men,
and by sharing in human nature.
He humbled himself,
by becoming obedient to the point of death
even death on a cross!
I was glad to see that this trait of true servanthood was brought out by my kids as something to be admired in the people they had influenced in their educational work, because it is something that I can see in their lives as well. They all see a purpose to education that transcends that of filling minds with knowledge, and they model it to their students.
The key is modeling, not just the speaking of it as a worthy attribute, but a living of life that way. The way Jesus did and the way that He wants me to do also.
Thanks for the lesson, kids!
(I know I should not call them kids, because they are all on the upper side of 40, but they are still my "kids")
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