“But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
– Matthew 20:26-28
Life at Camp, Part 4.
Quote of the Week
“As fallen beings, we know we aren’t worthy. But we don’t need to feel worthless, for we’ve been redeemed by the One who is worthy.”
Things are flying along at Middle School camp. The first two sessions are done, with Middle School #3 starting tomorrow.
This summer at camp, I’m in a unique position. My pastor once called it “leading from the middle”. Although this is my third year of Lifeguarding, I don’t have any “fancy titles” among the Staff. The devil wants to get at me with lies like you don’t have anything without a title or people are better than you because they have certain special positions or roles. These are lies that lead to pride and self-pity.
That’s why this year, I’m doing everything possible to model…
Servant-Hearted Leadership
The Bible chronicles the lives of many leaders. We spent twenty-four weeks looking at the leaders of Israel & Judah in my Life of a King series. Many of those leaders did not model the leadership style we want to see. So let’s skip ahead to the New Testament and look at the greatest example of servant-hearted leadership: Jesus.
Servant-Hearted Leadership in the Bible.
“He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.”
– John 3:30
Jesus was the greatest servant leader. He didn’t look out for His own interests. He was obsessed with how He could help people and lead His disciples. He repeatedly refused to accept praise. In fact, He told people not to tell others what He did. When people messed up, Jesus responded in a loving, correcting way. He wanted to see His disciples improve.
I hope we’re all familiar with Jesus’ humble act of washing His disciples’ feet before Passover. Jesus took the position of a servant, lowering Himself in front of His disciples.
In my eyes, servant-hearted leadership goes against the grain. It’s leading from the back, where you can see and support your team, instead of leading from the front, where everyone can see you. It’s keeping your eyes open for new leaders to train up, instead of self-promoting. As D.L. Moody said, “I’d rather put 1000 people to work than do the work of 1000 people.” We should prioritize others’ success before our own.
Servant-Hearted Leadership at Camp.
“And since I, your LORD and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”
– John 13:14-15
As I said earlier, God placed me in a unique position. As this is my third year, I’m considered one of the more “Senior Staff”. I’m the third-oldest person in our room, and the third-most experienced Lifeguard. (I just realized that maybe God has a heart behind the number 3.) I also have a year of Production training through church.
To level with you completely, when Staff sign-ups went live in January, part of me hoped for some sorta leadership position. In my pride, I thought I deserved it. I can see now that I was wrong, and it was for my good that God put me where He did.
He allowed me to take more responsibility among the Staff, without a title. As one of my superiors said, “You’re a leader without a title.” (Because the best leaders don’t need the title.) God let me cabin lead twice, first as a second-in-command, then as the primary leader. He didn’t stick me in a leadership role at the waterfront, yet He allowed me to mentor the new guards and acquire practical skills. God also set me up to train people in the tech booth. Not to mention letting me share my cleaning knowledge with the Staff.
One of my big takeaways from camp thus far is this: It’s not about what I can do or get out of it, but what I can help others do or get out of it. My first two years, camp was about what I could learn. I don’t mean to say I walked into camp with a prideful heart, but being inexperienced, everything centered on what I needed to figure out or what I could pick up at swim, while cleaning, or in the tech booth.
Since then, I’ve realized that God wants to grow me in humility. He wants me to humbly seek the development of others. My focus at camp shouldn’t be on myself. My focus needs to be on Jesus and the people He wants me to be there for. My prayer request to “look out for opportunities to serve God and bless others” is coming true! It requires sacrifice and submission, but I’m willing to take that step.
Practical Application.
If you’re in a position where you feel like God is holding you back, I hope you’ll get something out of this. If you feel like you deserve something that you haven’t been given, surrender that desire to God. He has reasons we don’t understand.
What I don’t want us to do is give in to pride or self-pity. “How could they…I deserved this position, I earned it, it’s my right, and this sucks, now I should get bitter and not talk to anyone and despise everyone and secretly plot to sabotage them and make myself look like a hero and woe is me and…”
I don’t want that. Here are three suggestions for growing as a servant-hearted leader.
1. Find your reasons.
While praying one day, God asked me for a why. Why am I at camp? What am I trying to get out of it? What is my objective? Without clearly defined reasons, we’ll wander. In your job, in your family, in your ministry, wherever you are, ask yourself: Why am I doing this? Make a list of focus areas (call it a mission statement), and when new decisions arise, weigh them in light of your priorities.
2. Be humble.
Nobody likes a proud leader. Nobody wants to be taught by someone who thinks they know it all. We need, as one Staff member put it, “Humble confidence.” We need to know what we’re doing, and teach well, without acting out of selfish ambition. Looking to draw praise is a fail in Jesus’ books.
3. Serve others first.
Good leaders invest in other people. How can I help the person next to me succeed and develop? God will give us leadership roles as He sees fit, but you’ll certainly lower your chances if you flaunt the opportunities He gives you.
Leadership is a tricky topic. Thankfully, we have a Redeemer who set the best possible example. My goal this summer is to follow His leading.
Until next week, thank you for joining me as we traverse this summer series. I continue to anticipate what God wants to do at camp this year. If He’s been working in your life, please let me know!
May we have the heart of Jesus as we go out and serve. He came not to do what He wanted, but what God wanted. As He said in John 6:38…
“For I have come down from Heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do My own will.”
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