Scripture Reading: John 13:3-17
In the first chapters of the book of John, we see Jesus doing work that no one else did—making water into wine, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead. But in chapter 13, Jesus does something almost anyone can do, but few want to: Jesus washes his disciples’ feet.
Jesus, who reigns over the entire cosmos, performs a concrete act of lowly service. In doing so he shows us the purpose of godly work: to benefit others. Leaders who pattern their leadership after Jesus are called to accomplish their organization’s goals by meeting the needs of others, especially those they lead.
Dan King shares the following story.
“I was talking with a colleague about a project I’m leading at work. His response caught me off guard.
‘Wow,’ he said. ‘Your leadership has been exemplary.’ I had trouble seeing what I was doing that warranted praise. I can’t remember a time a compliment left me feeling so unworthy.
In essence, this project involves redesigning [a] training program. Of all the people [on] the project, I’m the guy right in the middle. To pull [it] off on time, we needed to do some serious hustling. It also required effective leadership to make all the pieces click. But my approach had been to take a serving role.
For example, I responded quickly to [my colleagues’] requests for information, even anticipating questions and delivering answers before they asked. My goal was to provide everything needed to put together a stellar program. In hustling to help everyone else, I thought of myself as a servant. My job was to deliver a large amount of grunt-work so that others could shine.
‘It’s funny that what I consider serving is perceived as leading,’ I said. He admitted he hadn’t thought of leadership that way, but it made sense. By helping others achieve, you also end up leading them.
We both walked away from the conversation resolving to be better servants.”
Reflection: Think of a project that you are leading at work. What do people on your team need from you? How can you lead through service?
Prayer: Jesus, as I reflect on your example, help me serve as you did. Amen.
For Further Exploration: Read Servant Leadership (John 13:1-20) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.
Author: Theology of Work Project
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