Living Stone of SERVANT LEADERSHIP

by Carlos Verastegui, Executive Director with the YMCA of Greater San Antonio

Being a leader is often received with the pressure of having to deliver, perform or achieve.

Some embrace it as motivation - with every victory comes confidence, growth, and a reputation.

Take a look at Tom Brady, arguably the greatest quarterback of all time. He's played in 11  Super Bowls, earned seven championship rings, and selected as MVP six times.

As a captain of his team, he is respected by his peers and known to lead by example.

He's not afraid to ask anyone to do anything he wouldn't do himself, modeling servant leadership.

As impressive as those athletic accolades are, there was someone who modeled what it means to be the greatest servant leader in every area of life: Christ Jesus.

When I was in Jerusalem recently our group was able to spend some time in what is thought to be the site of the Upper Room where Jesus shared his last Passover meal with his disciples.

While there we took time to remember what he said and did, which included Jesus humbly performing the lowest of servants' task, washing the dirt off the feet of his disciples, covered only with a towel around his waist.

Jesus, King of the Jews, the Son of God, the powerful healer who also fed thousands of people - he flipped the roles, showing them what servant leadership can look like, serving instead of commanding, showing humility instead of brandishing authority, empowering his disciples to go out and serve others as He did.

Have you ever been put in a position where you gave up the comforts of being the boss to jump in the fire to help out that front-line worker with their duties?

Did you do it reluctantly, willingly, or free because it was the right thing to do?

Can you honestly say to yourself that you are not above that? 

Jesus didn't. He took it as an opportunity to teach his disciples how to be a servant leader.

Please pray with me: God, give us humility so that we may plant seeds in others by flipping the roles of leadership to model servanthood as living stones, just as Jesus did. Amen.