The Servant-Leader

This is kind of funny... I was going through some old journals tonight because I couldn't sleep and came upon this. I must have been reading the Focus on the Family website while I was at work at WinShape Retreat.

"Despite all normal human assumptions, leadership is not determinded by how much a man is exalted, but how much he serves. In fact, the greatest display of leadership is one's ability to directly serve those for whom he has responsiblity and jurisdiction. A husbnd must put love into action if he expcts his wife to be willing to follow his lead. He must understand the power principle behind serving his wife, even as Christ serves the church, and garner the ideal characteristics of true leadership through service.

"What kind of leader are we talking about? This describes biblical leadership as "responsible, compassionate, understanding, accountable, competent, respectable, autoratative, pioneering, exemplary, and God-fearing." Being a leader does not mean making all the decisions. Nor does it refer to be the boss in marriage, in the church, or in society at large. Leadership implies taking the initiative, accepting responsiblity and shouldering the weight of accountability before God. A definition of servant - "responsive, respectful, willing, loving, self-sacrificing, and submissive. Servanthood does not mean unthinking obedience. What it does mean is willingness to lower one's self, to humbly serve another person, and to put the interests of someone else above your own enjoyment. Christ the perfect servant-leader excelled to the fullest in demonstrating all the attributes of both servant and leader as described above. "Serving does not lessen one's autority or leadership. Instead, it enhances it- especially the leading-by-exapmle aspect. One who leads as Christ leads is always thinking of others, not self. He is willing to sacrifice his own comfort and even his own wellbeing for those he leads. He is willing to put himself last, prefer others, and even serves those he leads. Christ gave us an amazing example of serving when He humbled himself by washing the disciples feet. The message to His disciples rings loud and clear. If Christ was willing to be a servant, we should be too!!"

I want to strive for excellence in every area of my life. Life changes... so our excellence needs to stay in an onward change.

I am so excited about what God is doing that I cannot wait to look back on this season in life and just be in awe of what He has taught me. However, I don't want to rush what He has for me. I know that I am on a journey that is a lifetime's worth of adventure! I am not perfect. I am very far from it, but more than anything I am committed to go where God calls, and to simply follow where He leads. I have so much that's going on in my heart! I am SO blessed to know that He is in control of it, because if I were to let myself I could very easily become overwhelmed! God is so good to only give us what we can handle in each stage of life! Praise Him for that!!

"Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23