Shine your Light

Elliott, my oldest son, recently wrote an essay for school where he shared how hard it is to be a servant in a self-centered world.  His essay reminded me of Dave Stone's book "how to raise selfless kids in a self-centered world."  So, I went to my bookshelf and pulled off Dave's book and read it again. I was reminded that Jesus was the footwasher, the servant, the example. (John 13)  Service is simply shining the light instead of seeking the spotlight.  In its purest form service looks an awful lot like Jesus - and not only when he offered himself on the cross, but throughout his entire ministry.  The last shall be first; the first shall be last.  The least is the greatest, and the greatest is the servant of all.

Dave reminds us that it is important to ask our children, "Where did your light shine today?"  This question helps our children see that picking up a classmates' trash or playing with someone on the playground who is by herself or choosing to help someone understand their homework or being respectful of teachers is being a servant. 

I remember on many youth trips I would tell youth - "Your mommy ain't here to pick up after you so pick up your trash and keep your area clean."  Let's say that most of the youth did that but inevitably I would find anything from random smelly socks to empty plates laying around.  Then I would obnoxiously pick it up and ask whose it was before moving on to the next scheduled event.  However, there also were youth on every youth trip I led that were truly servants - those youth who would help adults clean up without being asked - those youth who would clean toilets or take out the trash or say "thank you" to the adults for leading the trip or carry all the heavy stuff we had with us.  Those are the youth who I remember being true servants.  And  I wanted to snatch them up and take them on every trip with me. 

Encourage your child to be a servant.  Shine your light so that your children can see servanthood at work.  It starts at home and it is contagious!  And remember that service is simply shining the light instead of seeking the spotlight.