Sunday, February 3, 2013

A King Yet a Servant

I can hardly believe how long it has been since I last wrote a blog.  Simply put, my brain was void of ideas, so I just didn't write.

Yet, for the last 2 weeks at least, there has been one prominent thought appearing everywhere in my life.  And I feel compelled to share it.   As many people know, I have chosen to work with preschoolers and most people think I'm insane for doing so. 
"Why don't you go back to the school system?"
"Maybe you can teach at a community college."
and then the perfectly blunt question "Why in the world are you doing this?"

And my answer "Because right now it makes the most sense."

And there is so much pressure everywhere for people to look down on me as if I am a nobody.  Or for people to view me as somehow cheating myself. But why?

What is success? It is what the world has deemed it to be. And since the world doesn't view my job as successful it is therefore nothing and should be beneath me. The idea is that just anybody can do it.

But the thing is that I feel like I'm doing the right thing where I am.  How is it nothing to be responsible for shaping the lives of children in their most formative and critical years? 

We had a training last Saturday where one of the teachers who works with me remarked that she is tired of this being such a thankless job.  She shared a story about a parent who saw her purse and asked her how she could afford a purse like that! She was astonished that the parent really looked down on her that much.  But while I think of the job I do, I see it this way.  If I am doing what God wants me to do, then I don't need any worldly praise or recognition of any kind.

I could very well be beyond "successful," admired by all, and not be serving the Lord. I'll take the former.

On top of all of that, I keep thinking about Jesus.  This is the Lord himself, choosing to be a nobody.  CHOOSING to allow people to look down on him. And this is because he wasn't living for here and now. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” (John 18:36)

And last week in church, we sang a beautiful hymn reminding me of my purpose in this life.
Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love,
show us how to serve
the neighbors we have from you.


Kneels at the feet of his friends,
silently washes their feet,
master who acts as a slave to them.

Neighbors are rich and poor,
varied in color and race,
neighbors are near and far away.

These are the ones we should serve,
these are the ones we should love;
all these are neighbors to us and you.

Loving puts us on our knees,
serving as though we are slaves;
this is the way we should live with you.

Kneel at the feet of our friends,
silently washing their feet;
this is the way we should live with you.