“Yet as far as I can I must drift about these love-monument mountains, glad to be a servant of servants in so holy a wilderness.” – John Muir
American culture heavily stresses the concept of “leadership.” Everything we push for somehow seems to incorporate being a better leader. Schools have leadership councils, corporations have leadership teams, and even modern American Christians have latched like limpets onto the Robert K. Greenleaf’s concept of “servant leadership.” Some of the following phrases are so common, that we hardly stop to think about what they mean anymore:
“Lead by example”
“We are all leaders in some way”
“Leaders have the power to empower”
“Leadership is action”
“To be a great leader, you must be a great follower.”
Leadership is one of the earliest qualities we seek to cultivate in our children, as we ask them to “be better than their peers” and we hand out awards to the leaders in classrooms and on sports teams. Be more. Be big. Be best.
Don’t get me wrong – I believe in leadership and stand fully behind those who lead unselfishly, and I also wonder if we miss out on a huge piece of our Biblical calling by living in a culture of leadership.
I Googled “list of leadership traits,” and here were some of the commonalities:
- Integrity
- Respect
- Courage
- Empathy
- Gratitude
- Communication
- Self-awareness
- Humility
- Graciousness
Next I Googled “traits of a servant.”
Guess what I found.
No really; guess.
Ok, fine – I’ll tell you… Look at that list above and you hit the nail on the head. If leaders and servants are so similar in character, are not both of those options good? Is it wrong to NOT be a leader in our world today? Leadership mentality is so ingrained in our culture that its nearly impossible to see life without it, but what if we tried? What if we were servants to others, not for the sake of being better leaders, but simply to be servants. To give a gift, freely and with joy without demand for recognition or claims over what we “deserve.” John Muir, in the quote listed at the start of this post, expresses intense gratitude at being the minutest of servants – glad of his lot of lowliness.
When I look at the infinite gifts that Jesus gave while he was on earth (healing, listening ear, forgiveness, time, wisdom, and the ultimate sacrifice), I am floored that one individual could give so much without recompense. I want to give and give and give the same way BECAUSE I am grateful and because Jesus asked us to be servants too. Jesus didn’t say that he came to be primped, pampered and paid a fat paycheck; he said that “I am among you as the one who serves.” Luke 22:27
Jesus came with no ambition to be a powerful leader. He merely came to serve, and at the last to give himself up completely. So why have millions and millions of people over thousands of years become followers of a man who set himself up as the servant of servants, who knelt at the feet of his own disciples and washed their feet? I would venture to guess that when someone feels so completely loved and valued, when the core of their being is affirmed as worthy, they would be willing to sacrifice things and follow the one who gave them that value. This is the real secret of the upside-down kingdom of Jesus: people have integral needs for love and belonging that cannot be given in a top down leadership situation. To serve, and to serve completely, is to fill the deepest need of every human being.
My hope is that when I take kids into the woods, I can give them some basic ground rules that exist to keep them and others safe. Beyond that, however, I want to exist to serve them, to give a listening ear to their deep wounds, and help them carry that pain. I want to give up my rest and sleep to make sure they stay safe, warm, and fed. When they can’t bring themselves to get out of bed sometimes to sit with them, make sure they know they are seen and cared for. I hope that when others look at me they don’t see someone trying to be a great leader, but someone who just wants to be a servant.