John 13:5, 12-15
"Then he began to wash the disciples' feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, "Do you understand what I was doing? You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are right, because that's what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you."
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What is Servant Leadership? The story of the foot washing in the book of John is probably one of the most dramatic stories of Jesus' life on earth. In the society of Jesus' day, foot washing was a job reserved only for the lowest of the slaves and servants. For Jesus, the Lord of all the earth, to stoop down and insist on washing all the disciples feet (even the man who was to betray him unto the cross), must have been extremely unsettling for the disciples. But as Jesus usually did, he explained exactly why he was doing this. He was providing a very vivid example of how they were to treat each other and the other believers that they were going to shepherd after his crucifixion.
Yesterday at our company sales kickoff event in DC, we had a keynote speaker Brian Billick (former head coach of the Baltimore Ravens who won a Super Bowl in 2001) talk to us about what it takes to be a great leader. One of his main points was that as effective leaders, we need to understand what our people do, be willing to get our hands dirty in the trenches with them, and truly serve our team members wherever needed. In each football practice, he made a point of walking around and talking individually and touching each player. He also often actually held the play cards to signal which plays to run so that all players were watching and noticing him. He was not one to stand back on the sidelines or up in the booth to observe them from afar.
For us, our team could be our company employees, our fellow soccer managers, our family, our group of close friends, a traveling discipleship team, or even a Bible study group, prayer group, or home group. In each of our teams, we need to treat everyone with respect, and genuinely look out for and take care of them. Indeed, you need to be a leader that is a humble servant first and everything else will follow.
In the next week, think about who your team is. Identify a specific action you can take to serve a person on that team and truly show them that you care about them.
...and don't forget to love God, love others, and use every minute for His glory!
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