among you it will be different

Jesus said those words to his followers.  They were the 2nd level leaders, the ones he was going to hand things off to.  They were the special ones, the ones he chose to spread his message to the world.  They had the inside scoop, the low-down, the annointing, the front-row seat, the backstage pass…

And they struggled with the same stuff I do.  We do.

How do I get ahead?  Am I reaching my potential?  I’m with him, so I must be the stuff.  I am a person of significance.  I’m pretty much a big deal.  How do I get noticed?  Do you know who I am?

Jesus dropped a bomb on them that day.  Hello, and welcome to the upside-down Kingdom.  You want to lead?  You want your props?  The way up is to go low.  Learn to be a servant.  You got big dreams?  You want fame?  Well fame costs, and right here is where you start paying…in sweat. OK, that was Debbie Allen, but I think she was quoting an early inner-city translation of Jesus.

Among you it will be different.

So I’m looking at my life, looking for the places where I serve.  I’m asking myself some tough questions.

*Is there anything that I have deemed “beneath my status?”

*Am I looking for the reward, noticing who’s noticing, or satisfied with the serving?

*How do I react when I get treated like a servant?  Hmmm

*Do I wait to be asked, or am I looking for the opportunity to do something for someone else.

Jesus, help me.  Make me uncomfy, and give me joy in the serving!