Mark 9:35
Our family plays a great game at the dinner table called “Would You Rather.” We ask the question “Would you rather . . . ?” so that our children have to make a decision, such as, “Would you rather win a World Series or a Super Bowl?”
Last night, I decided to ask my three kids the following question: “Would you rather be a great leader or a great servant?” I barely had time to finish the question before my 10-year-old daughter replied, “Dad, they’re the same thing. If you serve someone, you are showing and teaching someone what Jesus would do!” Wow! After picking myself up off the ground, I realized that she had nailed it. In God’s eyes, a great servant is always a great leader, but a great leader is not necessarily a great servant.
In the arena of competition, whether playing or coaching, we need to understand what it means to be a great servant. Being a great servant in the athletic world does not mean serving others in order to become a great leader; rather, it means sacrificing and dying to self. I don’t know about you, but for me this is hard. It means putting the interests of my teammates first—both on and off the field. It means having an attitude like Christ’s as I place their needs before my own. As competitors, we need to realize that this battle to lead or to serve rages every day.
So, if I had asked you “Would you rather be a great leader or a great servant?” what would have been your answer?
1. Why do people today elevate leaders so much? Can the same be said of servants? Why or why not?
2. Name one of the greatest modern-day servants. Name a servant in the world of sports. What makes them special?
3. What is one way that you can put the needs of your athletes or fellow coaches before your own?
Philippians 2:1-11
Lord, teach me today to put the needs of others before my own. Make me a great servant as I seek to follow in Your footsteps. Amen.