“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.”
— Mark 10:43 ESV
Once again, I found myself sitting on the porch and watching my human drink coffee and read his Bible.
He was reading about Jesus teaching His disciples what greatness really looks like. Seems those boys were having trouble figuring out who was the greatest. I can relate. Around here, I’m pretty sure I’m the greatest dog my human has ever had.
But Jesus turned their thinking upside down. The world says greatness is about climbing the ladder, getting ahead, making a name for yourself, and getting folks to notice you. Jesus says greatness looks a whole lot more like serving others than getting served.
Now, I know a little something about getting low.
I get low when somebody drops food under the table.
I get low when I’m sneaking up on a rabbit.
And I get real low when my human says, “Come here. We need to talk about what you did to that trash can.”
But Jesus wasn’t talking about that kind of low.
He was talking about humility.
Putting others ahead of yourself.
Serving when nobody is watching.
Loving folks who can’t do anything for you in return.
Doing the right thing without needing a pat on the back.
That’s a different kind of greatness.
Jesus didn’t just talk about serving. He showed us what it looks like. The King of Kings came as a servant. He touched the untouchable, welcomed the overlooked, washed His disciples’ feet, and ultimately gave His life on a cross for sinners like us.
Think about that. The One who deserved every bit of glory chose the lowest place to rescue people who could never earn their way up to Him.
And that’s where I think humans sometimes get things backward. They spend so much time trying to get ahead that they forget to look around and see who needs a hand. They want a bigger platform when God may be asking them to do a smaller, quieter act of service. They want recognition when He’s teaching humility.
Following Jesus isn’t about climbing over people to get to the top. It’s about getting low enough to love them like He does.
So today, maybe the question isn’t, “How can I get ahead?” Maybe it’s, “Who can I serve?”
Who needs encouragement?
Who needs forgiveness?
Who needs somebody to listen, lend a hand, or simply remind them they haven’t been forgotten?
You don’t have to stand on a stage to make a difference. Sometimes greatness looks like showing up, keeping your mouth shut, lending a hand, or loving somebody who can’t pay you back.
Greatness isn’t about getting ahead of everybody else. It’s about following Jesus low enough to serve them. The world may measure success by how high you climb, but Jesus measures greatness by how faithfully you love.
Get low. Love well.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
