Photo courtesy of Church Alive, Lyndhurst, NJ
Several years ago my friend Steve quipped a funny little saying while conveying his thoughts on serving. "I'll bring a broom and you show me where to sweep." Steve was a new volunteer at the time. I had only known of him for a few weeks and now I was talking to him about serving on the technical team at Blue Ridge. His response spoke a lot about his attitude toward serving:
- He was willing to do the grunt work
- He was willing to receive no glory or credit
- He was submissive to help with what needed to be done
Maybe they are the youngest or the oldest. Maybe they are the newest and least experienced. You may not even see them very often or at all but they are there.
How easy it could have been to think to myself, "Now here's a guy who will do whatever I tell him to do. Steve = Getting things checked off my list." Sometimes we might get so caught up in our checklists, projects, troubleshooting, planning, preparing, installing, line checking, big ideas, editing, meetings, and events that we forget about the Steves on our teams. These are the ones who serve behind the scenes in ways that go unnoticed....even to the behind-the-scenes crew.
These are the cable schleppers and stage sweepers. Maybe they are the filter cleaners or the "under-over" tyrants. Maybe they are the youngest or the oldest. Maybe they are the newest and least experienced. You may not even see them very often or at all but they are there.
Maybe some names of individuals came to mind as you've read along so far. I've thought of a few individuals since I've been writing this. Here's a good, simple study on how to treat the "least" or "last" on your teams:
Honoring others on your team only creates more zeal for serving together.
"Let love be genuine. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." Romans 12: 9a and 10-11 ESV
1. Show a brother or sister some love!
Genuinely: it's how we love. In this context that word literally means "undisguised" or "without concealment of one's thoughts, feelings, or character." Brotherly affection can be thought of in a family sense, or in our case we can think of our teams as a technical family. Each member is playing a part and there is none more superior to another.
2. Honor your team
"Outdo one another" literally means, "You go first." Show honor to the members of your technical family. Take notice of the gifts and performances of your technical family and value them. Honor them by going out of your way to communicate your genuine thoughts of appreciation for the way in which they serve. I'm often personally encouraged by the attitude that I see in someone else as they are serving. It doesn't have to be fancy or a big deal. It could be a simple, "Way to go!"
3. Don't be lazy about it
Literally, take initiative. Have zeal as we serve the Lord together. It's easy to have the thought to do it. It's difficult to walk to the person and actually do it. Honoring others on your team only creates more zeal for serving together.
In the case of my friend Steve, over the past seven or eight years we've developed a fruitful relationship of honoring one another. I could have just let him (and many others on our teams just like him) sweep, minding his own business, all the while getting things checked off the list, getting the next project complete, and moving on. I would have forfeited the faith-building, Spiritually encouraging relationships that I now enjoy.
I'll leave you with this: It's the widow's mite that God is most interested in. When those people show up at your door, take notice. You can learn a thing or two.
"And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44 ESV
