Want to change the world?

I want to change the world! Really? Can we really change the world?  Well, maybe not the world, or at least the whole world. But the space we inhabit, the little corner of the world we call home? Absolutely.

When we reset spiritually, it affects so much of our lives. It should, at least. When you reset your phone or computer, you expect everything to be better. When you reset your body by a change in diet or exercise, you expect huge changes. It’s the same when we reset spiritually.

Jesus came to turn the world upside down. Over time, I think we got turned right side up again. The church has thought more like the world at different times in history. It started looking a lot like an earthly kingdom and a lot less like heaven. We need to reset. We need to go upside down again.

One way to get upside down is to take on the attitude of a humble servant. Humility and service. Those words don’t work too well in corporate America, on the campaign trail, or – let’s be honest – in our own hearts.

It’s not that no one is familiar with these concepts. The idea of “servant leadership” is everywhere. Websites. Seminars. Books. Whole cottage industries set up to guide Fortune 500 companies into a different way of doing business that focuses on employee well-being and retention as a key means of success

Humble. Servant. Sounds good as a business idea. It’s even nice to think of those who serve us, or who are our employees, should be humble servants. But when we’re the boss? It’s a whole different story.

For every blog post out there expounding the joys and success of servant leadership you’ll find another blog post proclaiming its defects and demise.

Now, maybe you’re thinking that you’re not a boss. You don’t own a company. If anything, you’re in middle management so you answer to others.

But the reality is this – we are all bosses somewhere. We all have times in our day when others answer to us. Or at least we think they should.

At a restaurant, we’re the boss of the waiter who better get our food to us quick.

In traffic, we’re the boss sitting in our car wondering why no one else wants to get anywhere today.

During a school conference, we’re the boss and that math teacher better listen to us and pass our kids.

At home, we’re the boss of the place. We’re the “King of the Castle.” Or queen, for that matter. We sit on our make believe throne and rule out judgments against everyone else in the cul-de-sac.

“Why don’t they rake their leaves?” we think as we walk past their messy yard.

Or…

“Why are they hassling me about raking my leaves,” as we hurry past our messy yard to get inside.

The point is this. We all have moments in our lives where we can be the boss. We can be humble. We can be servants. We can choose to adopt an attitude where we don’t think too highly or too lowly about ourselves. We can put others first, in small ways at small times.

It may not change the world. That’s okay. It can change your little corner of the world, though. And that may mean more than making the front page of the USA Today. It could mean a better life for your neighbor. And isn’t that what Jesus was all about? Loving our neighbors?

So this week, I want to challenge you to reset and think of ways to be a humble servant when you get to be the boss.