A Call for Servant Leaders

  

He that wants to be first

Must first become the last,

For most leaders today

This has long passed.

We see a bit of it

Around election time

But almost immediately after

It goes into decline.

Humility is so obvious

When we are pulling a string

But not so useable afterwards

When we get that thing.

Some must be servants

That is all they get to do,

A few will get to be leaders

And that is a relative few.

It makes abundant sense

That the “to be led are more”,

We all understand logistics

When politicians go door to door.

It is then that they are servants

But with leadership in mind,

However, when they succeed

Servant is left behind.

Hence a call for servant leaders

There are very few if any,

Even in the church these days

There really aren’t many. 

Yes, I am knocking the church

That is where it should begin,

Jesus is the primary example

Let us take a look at him.

A dozen misdirected men

Full of selfish desire,

That proclivity of human nature

Through which we all aspire.

Let us take a look at Peter

A sample study of the rest,

His understanding of this issue

Was one misguided mess.

The Master was washing feet

But Simon Peter declined,

“You could wash the rest

But you are not washing mine.

 

  

We should be washing your feet

Not the other way around,”

And I could see him turn away

The idea weighing him down.

What a stupid recommendation!

A leader washing feet,

That’s like the certain vanquisher

Admitting to defeat.

I am not so sure he got it

Even when Jesus had explained

Since he saw his feet and body

In the very same vein.

 

It was not about human hygiene

But really about human service,

Peter was seeing servitude

And the intended point he missed.

Under the yoke of Roman bondage

This was difficult to perceive

And it became even more obscured

By the pretentious Pharisees.

And so, by now you see

The problem we still have today,

We can be servants for a brief while

But only until we get our way.

To serve is a noble objective

And it is that facade we present

But on actually acquiring the position,

It is what we misrepresent.

The facade is quickly torn down

Feet and body are exposed

And the idea of a servant leader

Will then become comatose.

No wonder we are starved

For servant leadership,

Most of those who present themselves

Do in essence quit.

Stewart Russell © November 2019