Post by MIRIAM JACOB on Mar 27, 2009 3:31:38 GMT -5
THE BEAUTY OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you,
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think (Romans 12:3).
It is difficult not to become “legends in our own mind,” isn’t it? For those of us in any sort of public ministry, we refer to it as the “danger of believing our own press releases.” The writer of Romans cautioned us against that very thing when he warned us not to think of ourselves more highly than we should. We would do well to remember and practice that caution.
I once had the privilege of working on a book with the late Chaplain of the United States Senate, Dr. Richard Halverson. This required a lot of phone conversations (before the days of e-mail!), much of the time with Dr. Halverson’s assistant. We were closing in on a very tight deadline over the Christmas holidays, and I had decided to work through Christmas Eve day. Mid-morning, I hit a snag and couldn’t move forward without an answer. I knew the chances of catching Dr. Halverson’s assistant in the office on Christmas Eve were pretty much slim and none, but I decided to give it a shot. Imagine my surprise when Dr. Halverson himself answered the phone! He quickly explained that though there were a few last-minute details that needed to be done in his office that day, he had insisted his staff take the day off, and then he came in to take care of things himself. When I recovered from my shock, I told him what I needed. He promised to track down the required information and get back to me. Sure enough, an hour later the phone rang, and Dr. Halverson gave me the info I needed to complete my day’s work and still make it to the Christmas Eve service on time.
What did I learn from that exchange? The beauty of servant leadership—true humility and genuine greatness. That one life-example taught me more than all the books I could ever read or all the conferences and classes I could ever attend. Regardless of what profession and/or ministry God has called us to, the lesson of servant leadership is one that would serve us all well, and that would enable us to become models to others of those who don’t think of ourselves more highly than we should.
I pray you have all had such models in your own lives, and that you will make a commitment today to be such a model to those who so desperately need to see it.
© KATHI MACIAS
www.kathimacias.com
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you,
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think (Romans 12:3).
It is difficult not to become “legends in our own mind,” isn’t it? For those of us in any sort of public ministry, we refer to it as the “danger of believing our own press releases.” The writer of Romans cautioned us against that very thing when he warned us not to think of ourselves more highly than we should. We would do well to remember and practice that caution.
I once had the privilege of working on a book with the late Chaplain of the United States Senate, Dr. Richard Halverson. This required a lot of phone conversations (before the days of e-mail!), much of the time with Dr. Halverson’s assistant. We were closing in on a very tight deadline over the Christmas holidays, and I had decided to work through Christmas Eve day. Mid-morning, I hit a snag and couldn’t move forward without an answer. I knew the chances of catching Dr. Halverson’s assistant in the office on Christmas Eve were pretty much slim and none, but I decided to give it a shot. Imagine my surprise when Dr. Halverson himself answered the phone! He quickly explained that though there were a few last-minute details that needed to be done in his office that day, he had insisted his staff take the day off, and then he came in to take care of things himself. When I recovered from my shock, I told him what I needed. He promised to track down the required information and get back to me. Sure enough, an hour later the phone rang, and Dr. Halverson gave me the info I needed to complete my day’s work and still make it to the Christmas Eve service on time.
What did I learn from that exchange? The beauty of servant leadership—true humility and genuine greatness. That one life-example taught me more than all the books I could ever read or all the conferences and classes I could ever attend. Regardless of what profession and/or ministry God has called us to, the lesson of servant leadership is one that would serve us all well, and that would enable us to become models to others of those who don’t think of ourselves more highly than we should.
I pray you have all had such models in your own lives, and that you will make a commitment today to be such a model to those who so desperately need to see it.
© KATHI MACIAS
www.kathimacias.com