True Servanthood
December 2003
. . .and Samuel said, "Speak,
for thy servant is listening."
1 Samuel 3:10
Now that I am a mother of a small
child, I know how it feels to need
REAL help. I was so grateful when
I first came home from the hospital
after delivering Jackson to have
food brought to my home from gracious
members of my church for about a
month. I was so thankful that my
home was cleaned and well taken
care of by my husband. I could not
have been more excited then to have
my son's god-mother ever nearby
seriously seeking to help any way
that she possibly could. Recovering
from a C-section delivery, not sleeping
through the night, and nursing a
hungry man-child every three hours
was taking its toll. The help was
needed and greatly appreciated.
Now that I have experienced new
motherhood for myself, I have a
whole different outlook on how to
help others. I used to be the kind
of friend who would call, offer
my well-wishes, and very sincerely
offer my help. I would say, "If
you need anything, please call."
The only problem with that was that
if the poor sleep-deprived mother
did need something she would be
too delirious to actually pick up
the phone and remember my phone
number. I must admit, on occasion,
I was counting on that. I said I
wanted to help, but sometimes I was
very busy or consumed with other
things and didn't really have the
time. In other instances, I did
have the time but I was hoping that
what was asked of me wouldn't require
too much energy and fit into a certain
parameter of expectancy. I wanted
to help but in the way that I wanted
to help! I offered my assistance
but only according to my desires.
Those days of offering pseudo-assistance
under the disguise of genuine concern
are over. Now, I am serious. In
fact, I am so serious that I rarely
tell someone to call me if they
need anything. Let's be honest,
how often do we actually call someone
to wash and fold our dirty laundry
or come scrub our floors for us.
These days, instead of offering,
I just show up and DO! Most often,
I will choose the most menial task
in that new mom's house and dive
in. I will clean a bathroom, fold
clothes or mop a floor. Whatever
needs to be done I am willing to
do it. I have been there, honey!
I know what a blessing it is to
wake up for the three o'clock am feeding
and go into a kitchen with a spotless
floor that wasn't cleaned by you!
I have experienced the blessing
of having someone watch my little
one in the other room for just a
few hours so that I could have an
uninterrupted nap. Being a mom has
made me a servant. It has taught
me that sometimes menial takes are
the most needed and appreciated.
It has taught me how to help out
whatever way that I can. Isn't
that what motherhood teaches us
in so many different ways? It makes
us willing to do whatever is necessary
regardless of the way that we feel.
When little Jackson spits up or
needs a bath, I don't always feel
like doing it, but motherhood makes
a real servant out of you. Those
of us who have children are at our
baby's mercy! If they want to play,
then we play. If they want to eat,
then we feed. If they want to cry,
then we console. If they want to
make a poopy mess, we clean it up!
We are servants and most of the
time we enjoy it! I believe that
God is looking for His true servants.
True servants are those who offer
their service to Him with no strings
attached. Not just people who claim
to want to do what He asks, but those
who are willing to dive in, head
first no matter what the task may
be. What good are pseudo-servants
who seem to be sincere in their
desire to serve Him but have hopes
in the back of their minds that
he will not ask them to do something
that they don't particularly care
to do. He is looking for those who
are serious about doing whatever
it is that He says regardless of
how menial the task may be. Servants
trust their Master so completely
that they are willing to put their
own comfort on the backburner to
meet their wishes. True servants
are even willing to do life-threatening
things to spare their master's life.
They will jeopardize their own safety
and well-being in order to make
sure that the affairs of their employers
are well taken care of. You've read
the ancient tales of the king's
cupbearers. Their sole responsibility
was to taste food and drink before
it touched the lips of royalty.
Any harm that these substances would
cause, happened to them first. And
they were willing to put their lives
on the line to show their loyalty
to their king.
What shows the love and devotion
of a true servant so much more is
not that he will do the big things
for his master, but rather that
he will without complaint do the
small things for him. If I were
a servant to some earthly royalty, then
I think I would be willing to do
the big things. That's what I would
be paid to do. But I readily admit
that it may become frustrating when
my list of things to do went from
what I considered meaningful and
worth while tasks to menial small
mundane tasks. In Biblical days,
the lowest servant was instructed
to wash the feet of guests as they
entered into his master's home.
If that were my charge, I would
surely become frustrated and tell
the guests to wash their own feet
for Pete's sake! If my master asked
me to run his bath water, fix his
plate for dinner, or lay out his
pajamas before bed, my attitude
wouldn't be one of complete cheer.
I would want him to use me to do
something more meaningful. But a
servant, a true servant is willing
to do anything for the sake of his
master. Not just for the tasks that
suit his fancy but even for those
small, insignificant services that
he is instructed to complete.
When Samuel heard the Lord calling,
his response was, "Speak Lord,
for thy servant is listening."
He presented himself in complete
humility and basically implied that
no matter what he was asked to do,
he would be willing to oblige. Are
you a true servant to the Lord?
Take a personal inventory. Look
deep into your heart and really
try to uncover your true feelings
about what the Lord asks of you.
Do you simply say you are a servant
but deep down inside hope that the
Lord doesn't really ask anything
of you? Do you
serve the Lord with strings attached?
I cannot tell you how many times
I have told the Lord that I would
gladly do what He ask if only He
would gladly do for me what I was
asking. Are you willing to be obedient
to Him even if he doesn't bless
your business; even if your husband
doesn't change; even if your
financial situation never improves?
Are you willing to become a missionary
to some remote country or give up
your financial stability to start
the ministry he is asking you to?
Are you willing to cheerfully change
the diapers one more day and make
your home with gladness if that
is what He has called you to? Are
you willing to remain single or
accept the fact that you may not
have children if that is what He
is saying is best for His kingdom
agenda? What if, like Abraham, He
tells you to sacrifice Isaac? What
if, like Moses, he sets you up to
do something that you feel ill-prepared
to handle? How will you respond
if His call sounds similar to His
instructions to the virgin Mary; something that is not only hard
and impossible but it is going to
embarrass you and cause you to be
ostracized by your friends and family?
Can you and I honestly say, "Speak
Lord, for your servant is listening, "
and truly, without reservation,
mean it?
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