Humble Yourself in Order to Serve

For even the Son of man came not to have service rendered to Him, but to serve and to give His Life as ransom for (insted of) many... (Mark 10:45)

Several years ago, as a student in nursing 101, I was eager to start learning the tasks of a registered nurse. I had a strong to jump into all the teshnical skills a nurse needs to perform her daily duties.
I was caught by surprise ehrn my instructor informed the class that our first task wa to give a bed bath. I was anxious to push one of the medication carts down the hospital corridor like the seasoned nurses, or bandage a serious wound, or better yet, sit by my patient's bedside and hold their hand while I listened attentively to their concerns, like the nurses in the movies. Giving a bed bath was not on mu list of skills to perform.
Finally, the big day arrived. I met a team of student nurses at a local jospital for our first opportunity to care for a patient. I wore my crisp starched uniform with pride as I grasped the index card in my poket with my patient's name and rrom number written on it.
After introducing myself to my patient, I gathered the necessary equipment for a bed bath. As my hands trembled, I wrapped the washcloth around my palm and dipped it in the basin of warm water. Then I grabed the bar of soap and created rich lather to begin my task.
I engaged in conversation with my patient, as I bathed them from head to toe. I relized how helpness they must feel that tey were tto weak to bathe their own feet. Being puffed up with pride of prestige over my position, wasn't what mattered. It was a sevice for me to humble muself and wash a patient's dirty feet.
One of the most powerful demostrations of service Jesus used to teach the disciples was when He washed Peter's feet. At first, Peter refused the notion that Jesus should wash his feet. He felt Jesus was too important to perform a task such as that.
However, Jesus humble heart convinced Peter that feet washing was among the many tasks a servant of God would be willing to perform.
The characteristic of a servant's heart are to thoughtful, kind, and humble. Humbling ourselves to serve others overcomes selfishness and releases joy into our lives.