To Lead or To Serve

By Randy Knapp

Napoleon held a dream of civilization at its best. He thought it was his birthright to gain the power necessary to bring his vision to reality. He succeeded in giving substance to the early stages of his quest and controlled a small portion of Europe for a time. Then the Duke of Wellington met him on the battlefield at Waterloo and the ill-fated vision faded like mist in a stiff breeze.

With his golden Nikes, Michael Johnson knew he had it in himself to run with extraordinary speed. He set the 200 meter world record of 19.32 seconds in 1996 and it has yet to be beaten. In the last half of that race he ran 100 meters faster than anyone else in history, arguably crowning him as the fastest man on earth. There are a small number of men with the dream, the talent, and training to ascend to his lofty throne during the upcoming Summer Olympics in China. Time magnifies the suspense and a photo finish may crown a new king.

From 1995 to 2007 Bill Gates was the world’s richest man. In July of 2007 Carlos Slim, the telecommunications magnate of Mexico stole the title away when an increase in his stock valuation catapulted his wealth past that of Gates’.

When I was a young boy, I was the fastest runner in the first and second grades. In third grade Steve Jepson came to my school. I still remember the day his feet stole my dream as he crossed the finish line a second ahead of me.

In every corner of the world, no matter how large or small the stage, from the leadership of nations to the control of a town council, from managing officer in a business enterprise to a commanding influence in a social group, men and women vie for a dominant role at the top of their hierarchical realm. The need for some sense of power and control over our environment pervades us all.

Some athletes desire fame so highly that they cheat in order to become preeminent in their sport. They inject their bodies with performance enhancing drugs in an effort to be seen as the fastest or the best. The scandals in major universities surface each year as students are caught cheating on tests in order to capture the coveted GPA of the ultraintellegent. Politicians sell their influence to the highest bidder in order to secure their seat in local or national government. When the time for the vote approaches, dollar signs trump the influence of what can clearly be seen as right or wrong. Everyday men and women go into convenience stores and slap five or ten dollars down on the counter in exchange for a few lottery tickets. They cheerfully exclaim, “Someone’s going to win the jackpot and it might as well be me.” Nearly everyone believes that with the convenience of wealth and the acquisition of power, their dreams can become realities.

And yet all of this striving to be the best is flawed at its core. Given time, someone will always emerge who is faster, stronger, richer, more powerful, or more successful than the person who temporarily holds the record. Those who seek power and influence in this world may temporarily achieve a form of greatness in their realm of expertise, but their fame will always be fleeting.

Jesus said, “You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must become your slave. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others.”

Lasting greatness beyond this world is measured by one standard - those who feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, show hospitality to strangers, clothe the naked, and visit those who are sick or in prison. In the award ceremony at the end of the age, they will be recognized by their King, with these words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”

Mother Teresa served “the least of these” in our society all of her life and came to her end sensing failure, doubting the effectiveness of her service to God. Hitler sought to mold his people into a super race that would lift humanity to new levels of excellence. When each stands before God there is little question who will cower in shame and who will be lifted up.

We will finally understand the meaning of power and greatness when we cease our struggle to be king over the garbage heap of which our hopes and dreams are currently made. At the end of the age, true champions will be recognized by the crowd surrounding them and the voices that exclaim, “I can’t see how I would have made it without your help and encouragement.”

Randy writes from Medford, OR. You can contact him at knappsnest@msn.com.