The servant lifestyle requires a certain kind of forgetfulness, the ability to forget about ourselves long enough to prioritize someone else. In I Peter 5:5 (NLT), the apostle writes, “All of you, serve each other with humility, for God sets himself against the proud, but He shows favor to the humble.”
Humility means we hold an accurate and unbiased assessment of our strengths and weaknesses. We understand our abilities, and we’re aware of, but we don’t fret over, our limitations. We see everything we have as a gift from God, for we know that without Him, we have nothing. This kind of humility makes it easy to look at the people around us, asking ourselves, “how can I help?”
One night, Jesus answered this question about help when he took a towel, wrapped it around his waist, poured water into a bowl, and began to wash his disciples’ feet. Washing another’s feet was typically a task reserved for the lowliest of servants. But Jesus, speaking without words, shows that no act of service was beneath his heart of love. Even as the shadow of death darkened the upper room, Jesus placed the needs of His disciples above His own.
The key to humility is knowing who you are. Jesus knew that He was the Son of God, the King of Kings, the Savior of the World. We know that we are children of the King. When we understand who we are, we’re comfortable grabbing a towel instead of grabbing the spotlight. Jesus didn’t care if someone mistook him for a lowly servant because He knew serving and giving His life was His mission in life (Mark 10:45).
Now it’s our mission, and it’s easier when we are secure enough to remember to be forgetful.
-Mike Johnson