humility ~ SERVICE ~ sacrifice ~ hope

 

The dream was so real. Judy looked exactly as she had the last time I saw her which was around 2001 or 2002. In my dream she came into the office and sat down at her desk and said to me, your gift has been waiting. I felt like I was starting a new job for some reason. The gift she was talking about was under my desk. I knew it had been there for awhile, it was covered in dust but she had placed it there for the exact day I would show up to work. When I woke up I was struck by how odd it was that after not thinking about her for years, she’d suddenly popped into a dream.

Judy P. was the manager at my first job at the bank. She was kind, thoughtful, meticulous, serious about her role as a mentor and leader of our group of young tellers. She wanted me to succeed. I knew she cared deeply about me as a person and cared that I learn how to do my job well. The last time I saw her was when she retired. She told me she was going to spend the rest of her days cleaning homes for elderly people because her passion was to serve others.

Her impact on my life was huge. When I was managing a team of my own a number of years ago I used many of her training methods because she had been such a great example to me. Slow down, she would always say. Don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else. Master the basics and with practice you will naturally speed up and you’ll be good. If you don’t master the basics, you may be fast but you’ll be sloppy and your work will be full of errors. She served us, was always available for us no matter how small the question or how menial the task. She led by example.

I woke up thinking about the story in Luke chapter 10. Martha was rushing around, anxious and troubled. She was distracted with much serving. I get it. There were people in her house that she needed to tend to, people that were important to her, like Jesus. When you read this story though, it appears that her service felt like an obligation, a chore. A burden. Life felt unfair, like she was doing more than her share while her sister did nothing.

That’s the heart of this story, Mary chose the presence of Jesus. She wanted to be with him, close to him, listening to him to the point that all of her obligations faded into obscurity. Jesus commends Mary’s choice, why?

Mary chose the better portion which was Jesus first. Serving without the heart of Christ makes it all about us. When we lose sight of Jesus we easily get discouraged and want to give up. We get impatient and unkind. We go all martha on everyone around us.

Jesus’ character is servanthood. Matthew 20:28 (NIV) says “…even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Spending time at the feet of Jesus aligns our hearts to his character and will. Being able to serve others no longer feels like an obligation, instead it becomes a holy calling.

Philippians 2:3-5 says “Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.” (NLT)

So why the dream about Judy? Maybe because I’ve been going all martha lately and need to slow down, sit at the feet of Jesus first and focus on the basics. Remind myself that we’re celebrating the season for one reason alone. Jesus’s birth is an example of the ultimate act of selflessness to humanity~ leaving his home in heaven so he could serve us.

That blows my mind.

As you busy yourself with preparations this Christmas, I encourage you to find time to start each day with Jesus. Read his word, soak in his presence. It will propel you to serve others from a heart of humility and gratitude; you will have chosen the best portion.