That's Not My Job!

This is a story about four people named: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got mad about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Did you follow that? Sound at all familiar?

I'm writing this blog post as a response to something I heard a member of my small group say: "I want a more important job." Uh-oh. Some of my readers may already be able to see where I'm going with this. I smile.

"Great opportunities often disguise themselves in small tasks." -Rick Warren

There are always going to be some jobs that nobody wants to do. However, those are the jobs that make the world go round. Everybody wants to serve God in some big, noticeable way, so that they'll feel good about themselves and other people will praise them. Well, that's all fine and dandy, but this is what Jesus thinks of that kind of attitude:

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

-Matthew 6:1-14 (NIV)

When we are given opportunities for ministry and service, it is tempting to look for an 'important job.' But the actor on stage can't perform if the guy behind the curtain doesn't open it. One job is no more important than the other. Both are essential for the show to go well. My mom always says that nobody wants to be a garbageman, but if there were no garbagemen, we would all notice.

"In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary."

-1 Corinthians 12:22 (NLT)

In our spiritual journey, adopting the attitude of a servant is probably one of the most difficult challenges we're going to face. Serving others involves putting their needs before ours, and sometimes even instead of ours. There might not be a reward. It may be that no one pats us on the back or tells us what a good job we've done. But we have to mature to the point where we no longer need our egos stroked in order to put forth our best effort.

"Notoriety means nothing to real servants, because they know the difference between prominence and significance." -Rick Warren

If you want to look for the right way to serve, we need look no further than The Man Himself:

"Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. 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. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

-Philippians 2:3-11 (NLT)

Developing this kind of servant's heart is a long and difficult process, I'll acknowledge that. And we're not the first people in history to have trouble with it! Even Jesus' disciples argued amongst themselves as to who was the most important, but Jesus set them straight:

"The apostles got into an argument about which one of them was the greatest. So Jesus told them: 'Foreign kings order their people around, and powerful rulers call themselves everyone's friends. But don't be like them. The most important one of you should be like the least important, and your leader should be like a servant. Who do people think is the greatest, a person who is served or one who serves? Isn't it the one who is served? But I have been with you as a servant.'"

-Luke 22:26-27 (CEV)