Matthew 20:20-28
20) "Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons, and kneeling down, asked a favor of Him. 21) "What is it you want?" He asked. She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom." 22) You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" "We can," they answered. 23) Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father." 24) When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the other two brothers. 25) Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26) Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. 27) and whoever wants to be first must be your slave -- 28) just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
A familiar story for most. James and John, along with their mother come to Jesus and ask for "special seating" in heaven. Who do you think prompted this? The Bible says that they went together, but the mom is the one who was doing the talking. Isn't it like a mom to brag about her kids constantly? I know I do it...a lot. When you love your kids and your kids love you and life is good, how can you not brag? It's a mom's job, right?
But the whole purpose of this story is about being a servant. So as I tried to really put myself in the shoes of James and John's mom, I realized something. I'm a lot like her. No, I don't pray that my kids will have prominence in heaven. But it's not uncommon for me to pray that they will be successful in what they are attempting to do. In fact, that's much of the focus of my prayers for them. I pray that they will be successful in their spiritual life (nothing wrong with that) but then I also pray for success in school. I pray for good grades, good friends, for their future mate. Sure, there's nothing really wrong with this. We should be praying for every aspect of our children's lives. But do we pray that they will learn to be a servant? Ouch. I've been praying for a lot of things...but praying for servanthood has been absent.
A few weeks ago I met with two other ladies from our small group. I listened as my friend Cyndi poured out her heart about what God had been speaking to her about. She felt called to organize monthly service projects within our small group so our families can serve together. Friends with friends. Siblings with siblings. Men with men. And parents with children. We made a list of possible projects to do together, and we'll soon introduce these things to our small group to discuss. I don't know how they are going to be received, but I am so excited about it. The activities ranged from simple nursing home visits, feeding the homeless in Dallas, volunteering at a shoe warehouse for orphans, and being involved with our church's SOUL ministry once a quarter in downtown Dallas. Nearly everything we listed costs only one thing: our time.
So as I read about James and John and their mom this morning, I can't help but think that my thought process also is a little warped. Too often in my prayer life I pray for success when I should be praying for servanthood...in my life and in the life of my children. Servanthood just doesn't come naturally to most people, with me being the chief sometimes. I want my life to model to my children what a servant would look like. Sometimes that means getting dirty. Sometimes that means just giving up what I want...and selfishness is something I struggle with.
There's an old song I sang at my high school graduation. It's called "Make Me a Servant." It has a simple melody and words, but it's what is on my heart today.
Make me a servant, humble and meek.
Lord, let me lift up those who are weak.
And may the prayer of my heart always be
Make me a servant. Make me a servant.
Make me a servant today.
What's the prayer on your heart today? Success or servanthood?
---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com