Beatitude 3: Lead Like Jesus

Do you know what an oxymoron is? It’s when two words that mean opposite things combine in a sentence, like “pretty ugly” or “serious fun.” Sometimes, when people read this week’s memory verse (Matthew 5:5), they think of another oxymoron: “humble leader.” But they forget that being a leader doesn’t just mean making all the decisions and telling people what to do. It also means that when you make a decision, you don’t just make one that’s good for you. You make decisions in order to help everyone who looks up to you to get better at something, feel better about themselves, or grow more confident in their abilities. Being a humble leader means we don’t want “to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45).

Jesus was like this. One example of him being a humble leader is John 13:1-19, where Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. Jesus was the Son of God. So there is no reason for him to kneel on the dirty ground and wash smelly toes, but he did it anyway. He knew it was important for leaders to lift up their followers and serve them, so he told his disciples, “I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you” (John 13:15).

Just like Jesus, we can be humble leaders. Let others pick the show without complaining or begging them to pick our favorite. We can tie someone’s shoelaces without teasing them about needing help. Or we can remind our friends that we weren’t always good at playing our favorite game or instrument. Whenever we choose to be kind, we live out this beatitude.

Prayer

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