my wife is not a scorekeeper…

another sign you see hanging around everybody’s neck is the yield sign. it basically means yield your rights and serve.

when other people want to be first in line, get all the attention, have everybody waiting on them or doing for them or it’s all about them, those who are around people like that never feel respected. but if somebody ever puts aside their rights and gives back in an act of service, you really feel like you matter to that person.

this story in luke 7 about this woman and JESUS is so tender, and it’s a picture of her service to the LORD. without a word, without mention of the value of her deed, without thinking of the expense or the shame or the work or the demeaning nature of what she was doing, she just came to the feet of GOD’s SON and she served HIM.

have you ever had anybody in your life who has served you, with no thought to their own needs or desires? or have you ever served someone like that?

paul wrote these words in 2 corinthians 12.15 (niv), so i will very gladly spend for you everything i have and expend myself as well. isn’t that a beautiful verse?

i get to see a servant’s heart up-close and personal almost every day of my life in my wife, margaret. she is such a servant. there are so many little things she does. she never fights for the remote control, never insists that we watch what she wants on tv. she’s the first one to get up and answer the phone because i am very reluctant to do that. it’s these small acts of service that makes me feel so honored and so valuable in her sight. she’s quite amazing. probably the most amazing thing of all about margaret is she’s not a scorekeeper.

serving is not scorekeeping. our culture says, “i do for you, now you owe so many acts of service back to me.” “i did this, now it’s your turn to do that.” we get into this tit for tat, back and forth scorekeeping. i’ve seen so many shallow friendships, so many shallow marriages built on that kind of selfishness. the bottom line is that’s what it is. it’s not yielding, it’s not serving.

just a thought from the front porch…