The Highest Honor

Yesterday, our Son, Brandon, sent, via text, a picture of the handle of a plunger. Not just any plunger, mind you, but it's the plunger that is passed down every year to the current resident advisor (RA) for the dorm floor that our Son is living on.





What also lends personal value to this picture, for both Brandon and I, is the name of a close personal friend - a friend that I admire and respect, written on the handle.





So what's the big deal about a plunger, you ask? When we think about a plunger, our mind automatically goes to one of the dirtiest places in a house or building - the toilet. No one wants to do the task that requires the use of a plunger or, at least, one does such task reluctantly.





But the plunger in the possession of the RA on Brandon's floor represents far more. It represents servanthood. Being a servant often requires us to do things that we may not choose to do, given the choice. The menial, the mundane, the unheralded, the inconvenient and, sometimes, the disgusting are all parts of being a servant.





For a true disciple of Christ, being a servant is not an optional thing. Christ said it himself...

"If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."
Mark 9:35 NIV

What part of servanthood are you resisting because of what it requires? That plunger serves as a fitting reminder of what a servant is. According to Christ, it is the highest honor.

Tenacity

Yesterday, before leaving the office, I was startled to find a man walking down the hallway of the church building. After I extended a friendly greeting, he proceeded to invite me to his church. He gave me his pastor's phone number, directions to the church and another invite. He then asked about our affiliation and my role at the church. Soon after I responded, he encouraged me to come and try his church.

I must admit, I was a bit confused at either his reluctance to understand the situation or his misunderstanding of the same, but I couldn't help but admire his tenacity and his huge smile.

While I don't recommend going into another church to invite people to church, I wonder if, for no other reason than this man's willing effort, God smiled.