A Servant of All

So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants. 1Samuel 17:5

From the time the church of my childhood, Whitewater Baptist Church, was first organized, my parents were deeply involved in every facet of it. Among other things, my mom played the piano for the services. She wasn't a fantastic player, but she was good enough to do the job. And more important than amazing skill, she was totally reliable.  So, while there were periods of time when others played, myself included, in the end it defaulted back to my mom. This was the pattern for decades.

And then the inevitable happened. A sweet new family joined the church and the wife was extremely musical. Eventually the pastor of the church approached my mom and asked her to step down and let the new young lady be the primary pianist. My mom was a bit taken back—after all it had been her job for decades—but she knew the pastor was right. The new lady was more suited for the position. 

But what next? my mom asked herself. She had always known what her role was, but that role no longer belonged to her. She prayed and asked God for direction. He led her to volunteer for the baby nursury every single Sunday Sçhool period. Every single one. She felt having the same familiar face greet the babies each week would make both parents and babies feel more comfortable. And so my mom went from being at the front of the church every Sunday—very much in the public eye—to never being in the public eye at all. She served in the nursery in this capacity for many years.

1 Samuel 17:55-18:30 tells a story of another person who responded well to demotion. Before young David, the future king of Israel, fought the giant Goliath, few people had heard of him. However, after that famous one-on-one in which Goliath was felled, David was a household name. And King Saul honored him by making him the captain of the army. 

However, when King Saul heard women singing that Saul had slain his thousands and David his ten thousands, everything changed. No longer did Saul love and appreciate David. Instead he burned with jealousy. Rather than having David serve as captain of the army, Saul demoted him to captain over only one thousand men. Additionally, after promising it to the one who slew Goliath, Saul gave his daughter's hand in marriage to another. Two times Saul tried to murder David by spearing him. And through all of this David remained spiritually solid. In the days and years following, despite multiple opportunities to exact vengeance, David treated Saul with kindness and compassion—even as he was being hunted down by him to be murdered. 

And I have faced similar, although obviously much less dramatic, challenges when I have found my character tested by demotion. Those times when my skills or experience were overlooked. Those times when another was asked to do something I knew I was qualified to do or I greatly enjoyed doing. Those times when what seemed should be rightfully mine was denied me. 

If I have learned anything in this life, I have learned God does not think like I do. What seems loss to me is actually gain in God's economy. And while it is more fun to work on being humble when promoted than to work on being humble because of a demotion, God uses both. I certainly learned more from my mom's demotion than I ever learned from her various, much-deserved promotions. By modeling such humility, she inspired me greatly. I too want to be faithful always, allowing God to either demote or promote me as He sees fit.

And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” Mark 9:35

See The Worst Mother Ever.
See Playing with Little Foxes.