“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40 (NIV)
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Mark 9:35 (NIV)
I was thinking about Thanksgiving this year and that this will be the first Thanksgiving for us without Grandma Great, which led me to think about Christmas, then Easter...This year, we will be starting something new: Holidays without Grandma Great.
During the course of our lifetime we go through so many "First's." Too many to count. Things that come to mind are events involving our children: first words, first steps, first tooth, first day of school, first dance, first boyfriend/girlfriend, first day of college, etc. Adults: first day on a job, first day of married life, first home...and you could go on and on.
The other significant thing about the word first is that we're always trying to be first...first in line, first done with our homework, first in the tournament, first across the finish line. Rarely do we strive to be last. I know I'm always encouraging my kids to win - or be first. No one wants to be the "loser."
Our society revolves around winning, or being first. Isn't it fitting that Jesus wants us not to worry so much about being first, which is what we spend our whole life focusing on, and instead be last?! Be the least of these. We should never think of ourselves above another.
What if our society shifted its focus away from always being first? What if we really did put everyone else's feelings and best interests above our own? Hmm, now there's a first to think about.
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