HAVING A SERVANT HEART IN A COMPETITIVE WORLD

“Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, SERVING THE LORD.” Romans 12:10b-11

The ballet world is competitive, to say the least. One peek inside a ballet studio, and you can FEEL the tension. We all want to get ahead, be the best, and be noticed. Often times, we are going out for the same role in a ballet or even for the same job in a ballet company. It can feel like the only way to be the best and rise to the top is to be completely self-focused, unfriendly, and even down right ugly to the other dancers.

Christ calls us to a completely different way of thinking and living. It goes completely against our competitive, me-focused nature. It requires self-control, faith, love, and hope. It requires a servant heart…even in an incredibly competitive world…

“But since we belong to the day, let us be SELF-CONTROLLED, putting on FAITH and LOVE as a breastplate and the HOPE OF SALVATION as a helmet.” I Thessalonians 5:8

I got to see SERVANT HEARTS in action this past week at a Kanakuk’s family camp, K-Kauai. I was blown away by these college kids servant attitudes…how they loved on my kids, cleaned up our table after every meal, helped out in any way they could…all without a HINT of a grudge or complaint. IT. BLEW. ME. AWAY. But you know what else it did? It made me want to press into Jesus more (like they were doing) because the more I press into Him the more free I become, the more I become who He designed me to be, and the more my heart will be shaped like Christ’s – a serving, loving heart. Their example, made me want more of Christ.

Christ, the King of Kings, “made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.” Philippians 2:7 Christ had a servant heart, and He wants to cultivate one in YOU too so you can be a LIGHT in the ballet world.

Does this mean you let people walk all over you or take advantage of you? No. Does this mean you never speak up or stand up for yourself? No. Does this mean you wallow in self-doubt or low self-esteem? Absolutely not! But it might mean a change of attitude in the studio and being AWARE of other’s needs around you: smiling at your fellow dancers, asking them how they are doing, helping out whenever the opportunity arises, being excited for your friend who got the lead role, instead of being jealous. It may be that you make secret choices that honor God…the choices that no one sees or gives you credit for, like picking up trash in the studio or helping a younger dancer feel welcome. Maybe it means dancing a role that you are not too excited about with ENTHUSIASM. Maybe it means holding your tongue when you feel like complaining because your feet hurt and you’re ready to call it a day. Maybe it means you respect your director even when you would rather roll your eyes.

Maybe it means TRUSTING God with your dance career instead of clawing your way to the top, hurting others along the way. What might having a servant heart look like in your world?

But, dear reader, HEAR THIS…servanthood is an overflow from your relationship with Christ. You don’t have to manufacture it in your own strength. His Spirit in you will help you, and as you draw closer and closer to Him, your heart will want to serve. As a little side perk, you just might enjoy your dancing more. :)

Prayer: “Dear Lord, everything in me wants to be self-focused, otherwise, I feel like I will fall behind. In this competitive and self-focused world, show me how to work hard, but also how to have a servant heart at the same time…that reflects you. Help me have a servant heart in the dance world and outside the dance studio.”