A Servant's Heart - by Elizabeth Weix


Elizabeth, a "life-long" Massachusett's homeschooler, is enrolled as a twelfth grader in Royal Academy. "A Servant's Heart" was written as a speech and delivered to students and parents participating in speech and debate classes near the beginning of her junior year. After I read it (as her supervisory teacher for Royal Academy), I asked if she would allow me to print it in "Family Times". I thought it would be quite suitable for this time of year. Perhaps it will each one of us set our priorities a little straighter, help us soul-search more thoroughly and just ... well... give.
~ Editor

There is a malady that makes the Black Plague seem as mild as the common cold. Add together the death tolls of all illnesses and epidemics since the beginning of time, and your tally will still fall short of the number of lives claimed by this single ailment. This disease is running rampant throughout our society but it is one that we are, too often, not familiar with. And forgive me for being the one to tell you, but you are also infected. You suffer from it. And you know what else, so do I. The name of this disease is Selfishness. If you don’t believe me, ask yourself these questions. Do you hold on too tightly to your possessions and spend time thinking about ways that you can attain more? Do you stand for “hours” in front of the mirror each morning making sure that every strand of hair is perfectly in place, that your clothes correctly match, and that there isn’t a glitch in your make-up application? If you can honestly say “yes” to any of these questions, then my diagnosis is correct, you have a case of selfishness.

Since the fall of man in the beginning of time, we, as human beings, have constantly struggled with the temptation to absorb ourselves in seeking our own personal pleasures. To put it simply, we are obsessed with ourselves, and because of our sinful and selfish nature, we have created a nation that focuses on our own personal exaltation. My eyes were opened to this startling reality, and I didn’t realize how infected I was until I was given the opportunity to serve in the country of Mexico. This experience not only caused me to examine the way I live my life, but also made me aware of a need that is calling out to you and me. What is this need?
It is simply that this generation lacks servants, those who are willing to set aside their own wants and desires to reach out to those around them. Christians are instructed by God Himself to serve others. Too many times, however, serving is placed on the back burner of our agenda. We are either too caught up in ourselves to notice the needs of others or too busy to care. But don’t lose hope. There is a remedy for this disease of selfishness.

As I previously mentioned, I was, and still am infected with the disease of selfishness. My obsession with myself has caused me to overlook and shun the opportunities that I have been given to serve those around me. It wasn’t until I began to observe a number of people in action that their servant’s attitude began to rub off on me. It was then that I decided to spend a week out of my summer vacation serving others, as well as learning how to overcome my selfish attitude.

As I boarded the plane that would take me to one of Mexico’s poorest cities, I asked myself why I was going on this mission’s trip. I thought I had felt the Lord calling me to go and serve, but now I was beginning to have doubts about my decision.

It wasn’t until I was immersed into the reality of true poverty that my heart began to change. Every hour of everyday was spent serving and meeting the needs that of the Mexican people we met. We worked to complete a Sunday School room and a church, helped the women in the kitchen, and spent time playing with the children. It was then that I realized how much we, as Christians, are needed to be servants of the Lord.

Spending a week focusing, not on myself, but on the needs of others changed my heart and attitude. It was an experience I will never forget and is one that will continue to remind me of how important it is to work toward leading a selfless life.

From my own experience, I have found that achieving a servant’s heart requires many sacrifices but it is well worth it and can completely change your life. If you are willing to make the necessary changes that God requires in order to gain the heart and attitude of a servant, than immersing yourself into the Word of God and truly understanding His character is the best place to start. Jesus Christ is the perfect role model and example for us to follow for He came to serve, not to be served.

Ask the Lord to fill you with His Spirit and to mold you into His likeness and He will, in turn, reveal to you the character qualities that are essential to the life of a servant.

Humility is one of these character qualities that I will mention today. God’s word in Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself.”* In today’s culture, humility is frequently thought of as another word for weakness, not only in mind but also in body.

We know that this definition is incorrect by examining the life and ministry of Jesus here on earth. Jesus possessed humility, but He definitely did not show signs of weakness. He is all-powerful and proved that He was through the performance of many miracles and ultimately, through His death and resurrection. Once you have attained the character quality of humility, you will find that the goal of defeating your selfish nature will be much easier to reach. (NIV Teen Study Bible)

The next step, after you have begun to receive a servant’s heart and attitude, is to apply the idea of serving into your life, moving from the mindset to the actual physical activities of service. Purposefully look for ways throughout your day where you can serve someone. Don’t, however, think
that leaving the country or participating in a mission’s trip is a requirement of service. Serving needs to begin in the home first. Most of us find it is the hardest to serve our family members because we are with them all of the time. I have found, however, that when I can humbly and cheerfully serve the members of my family, I receive more than an abundance of joy serving those outside of my home. In fact, by serving others, we are really serving the Lord Himself. As Mother Teresa, a nun who served in the slums of India stated, “I see these people for what they are-Christ in disguise. He is the hungry man, the lonely woman, the homeless boy, the little girl seeking shelter. It is the hungry Christ that I will feed, it is the naked Christ that I will clothe, it is for the homeless Christ I will find shelter.” Don’t ever forget that when you serve others, the Lord sees your actions and good intentions, is pleased and will reward your work.

Just like it did for me, I can guarantee that serving others will bring you an abundance of joy and satisfaction. Just like the blind man, who was given back his sight, ran through the streets, shouting for joy because of the miracle that had just occurred, so you also will have reason to rejoice. * Theresa of Calcutta. by D. Jeanene Watson- Pg. 37.

Don’t stop talking, in a humble manner, about serving others. This generation needs to know that the only way to a complete and satisfying life is through selflessness. Words can be powerful. Use them to recruit servants of the Lord.

Before I close, I would just like to share some words of encouragement with you. I know that defeating our selfish nature is very challenging and we, often, want to give up. But keep running after your goal, no matter how hard it seems. Remember that a life of selfishness can be fatal if allowed to continue its work in you, but a life of selflessness and complete servant-hood revives your spirit and gives you a reason to rejoice.

St. Francis of Assisi wrote this prayer that sums up the true heart of a servant, giving back what the Lord has given to you! The last few verses that I want to share with you continue to inspire me to look past myself and look to the needs of other. I hope these words touch your life and inspire you to seek after a servant’s heart.

O divine Master, grant that I may not

So much seek to be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are
pardoned;

And it is in dying

That we are born to eternal life.*

* The prayer of St. Francis of Assisi.