As I was making my husband’s breakfast and packing his lunch this morning, the Holy Spirit reminded me that along with being a servant, I needed to have the attitude of a servant.
This attitude meant I served without having the expectation of anything (even a thank you) in return. I was packing his lunch, not out of obligation or an expectation of gratitude or returned actions, but out of love for my husband.
Jesus said it best when He was teaching on the Sermon on the Mount, saying
”I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.“ Luke 6:35-36 MSG
“Help and give without expecting a return…;” this is a difficult statement, isn’t it. Our human (selfish) nature is to do the opposite. When we do something nice or serve someone, at the very least, we expect a “thank you,” right? How many times have you and I have said, “well the least they can do is say thank you…” But that is not what Jesus is teaching here, is it?
Why do you think Jesus felt the need to teach this principle? I say one of the reasons Jesus felt that this was important was because Satan uses unmet expectations to cause discourse.
Let’s take my example of making lunch for my husband, as an example. If I expected him to repay my efforts with doing something for me, and he didn’t, I would be disappointed in him. Then I would be upset with him (when he has no idea why), and now there is discourse in our relationship.
Jesus knows our tendencies (He was fully man), so He was showing us how to serve one another without expecting anything in return.
As we strive to embody the attitude of a servant in our daily lives, let’s challenge ourselves to practice serving others without expecting anything in return. Together, let’s embrace Jesus’ teachings and cultivate a spirit of selfless love and generosity towards all those around us.
How do you think embracing the principle of serving without expectations can positively impact your relationships? How might society be transformed if more people adopted the mindset of serving without expecting anything in return? Love to hear your thoughts and insight. Comment below.