"Picking Up Butch"...What ESPN taught me about serving others
http://search.espn.go.com/middlebury/videos/6
I walked into the kitchen on Saturday to find my sweet husband cooking breakfast and watching ESPN. I poured my coffee, my source of kindness in the morning, and then complimented him on what a very fine job he was doing. Minutes later we were glued to this story, and both us were a little teary.
OK, so ESPN didn't really teach me anything in the literal sense, but this video certainly got me to thinkin'. It's worth 10 minutes of your time. It was featured a few years ago, and won SportsCenter an Emmy and a prestigious Edward M. Morrow award. It's a true story that exemplifies how to serve others.
I admit I’m not so great at being a servant. I want to be, but Selfish-Self seems to take over and she has a much more domineering personality than Selfless-Self. I wrestle with her and she usually wins, but my hope comes from the fact that I know God is way bigger than Selfish-Self! I’m reminded that Christ came not to be served, but TO serve. Even if you don't believe in God - or maybe you believe but just don't like him - you have to admit the whole "love your neighbor as yourself" thing would be a great mantra by which to live. Surely it would reduce prison overcrowding and reality tv...not that there's anything wrong with that...I do love those Kardashian crazies!
I admit I’m not so great at being a servant. I want to be, but Selfish-Self seems to take over and she has a much more domineering personality than Selfless-Self. I wrestle with her and she usually wins, but my hope comes from the fact that I know God is way bigger than Selfish-Self! I’m reminded that Christ came not to be served, but TO serve. Even if you don't believe in God - or maybe you believe but just don't like him - you have to admit the whole "love your neighbor as yourself" thing would be a great mantra by which to live. Surely it would reduce prison overcrowding and reality tv...not that there's anything wrong with that...I do love those Kardashian crazies!
However, we live in an extremely self-centered world, and we go against our proper design when we esteem ourselves more highly than others. Jeffrey Lancaster, my pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Memphis TN, has been teaching a series on love. Just yesterday he encouraged us to love and serve all mankind, like Christ. We are to love and serve those who have different beliefs, different faiths, those who don’t look like us, those who don’t think like us, those who are difficult, and even when it calls for us to sacrifice something, and oh, goodness…even inconvenience us! We’re supposed to love and serve not only when it’s easy, and not because we get something in return.
I admit, I need to be more intentional about serving those who live under my very own roof! How often do I push my own agenda because it pleases me? How often do I tell my kids to "be quite" simply because I'm tired of hearing their voices or that I'd rather hear what Ryan Seacrest is saying? We have such a warped view of what it really means for us to "serve". It has become some passive little duty that ones does subserviently. Really, "serving" is something we actively and intentionally choose to do! How often do I serve my sweet husband? Does my (your) "I am woman, hear me roar" attitude keep me from serving this great guy that I love like crazy? How messed up is that? He loves me! Husbands, how do you serve your wife? How do you serve your kids? Does your time trump time spent with your kids? Do you consider yourself above your wife and kids because you are "the man of the house"? Way messed up! But you know I'm a big fan of hope! The good news is, not a single one of us is beyond repair. We'll never be so far gone that we're beyond God's grace.
I admit, I need to be more intentional about serving those who live under my very own roof! How often do I push my own agenda because it pleases me? How often do I tell my kids to "be quite" simply because I'm tired of hearing their voices or that I'd rather hear what Ryan Seacrest is saying? We have such a warped view of what it really means for us to "serve". It has become some passive little duty that ones does subserviently. Really, "serving" is something we actively and intentionally choose to do! How often do I serve my sweet husband? Does my (your) "I am woman, hear me roar" attitude keep me from serving this great guy that I love like crazy? How messed up is that? He loves me! Husbands, how do you serve your wife? How do you serve your kids? Does your time trump time spent with your kids? Do you consider yourself above your wife and kids because you are "the man of the house"? Way messed up! But you know I'm a big fan of hope! The good news is, not a single one of us is beyond repair. We'll never be so far gone that we're beyond God's grace.
Let's all try to see where there are needs in other people's lives, in our city, in our own homes, and do our best to serve. I'm thinking I'll start with the 3 little Gillys!
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