Take the towel

Story time. This time I’m not deleting. I may have started and stopped this post 10 times. Here we go. I’ve been redoing my little blog in earnest over the past few weeks. I’ve been sorting through all the old posts and placing them in categories. There may be posts as old as 2008. I go through phases of not writing to writing to ghosting this page over time. I have so often come and sat here not sure why I’m just staring at a blank screen and I close the computer and move on. Lately, though, I am realizing more and more the therapy found in writing.

The other night I had a fascinating discussion with some sisters in Christ about bond-servant, slave, etc. The Greek word is doulos.

δοῦλος (doulos). n. masc. servant, slave. Refers to someone who is the property of another. A servant (doulos) is someone who is a slave and obeys the commands of his or her master. For example, in Matt 8:9 the centurion claims that he says to his servant (doulos), “Do this,” and he does it. Paul often refers to himself as the servant (doulos) of Jesus Christ (Rom 1:11; Gal 1:10). The idea that he is a slave to Christ carries the sense of belonging to him—Christ has bought him, and owns him. _{(Ron Clark and Dougald McLaurin III, “Duty,” in Lexham Theological Wordbook, ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).)}

So, how this all came up in our conversation, we had two birth doulas in our discussion. They spoke of assisting, comforting, serving, caring for the new mother. Yet, there were two women who had doulas and while the children lived, the birth experience was terrifying and traumatic. The doulas were there during this as well. They did not leave or move on. They stayed for the entire journey of the birth. Also, their relationships with the mothers did not begin when labor began. This was formed over time, speaking together of plans, hopes, and dreams, but also preparing for possibilities.

Which….got me thinking about the pinnacle of doulos. (Allow me to say I am not saying a doulA is a bond-slave..)

5 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. 7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, 8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth — 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Php 2:5–11.

The one who was with God in the beginning, who created the world, assumed the form of a slave. A doulos. The very one he created in the very beginning, who rejected the Godhead over and over, came as a man to serve. There is something that breaks my heart here. My brain is all over the place, but last night we were talking about the flood. Our automatic response so often is to look at God and wonder how he could have done this. The destruction of the entire world! Hang on, do you know how tall the ark was?

4 and a half stories high. A football field is 360 feet long. The ark was 450 feet long (a cubit is 18 inches..). This was a focal point! What else was that huge? It took Noah and his family 100 years to build the ark. It was pointed out that it probably didn’t need to take that long, but our God is patient. He held out his hand to people, beckoning them to come. THEN, after Noah and the fam got on the boat, with the zoo, they were there 7 days before the rain came. We misunderstand our God so very often. I’m so convicted by this.

God sent his son to serve, to pour out his very life blood to save us once for all time, which then makes me think of the last supper. Jesus wrapped a towel, knelt down, and washed his disciples’ feet. There were no Hoka shoes. No socks on those feet. Dusty roads shared by livestock. I have the picture in my mind. lol. Jesus cleaned those feet. Humiliation, yet he showed them the example he wanted them to be as they were sent out to serve. Doulos.

Our lives are meant to be poured out in service and love for those around us. What if we spent more time thinking of others and doing for others than in service to ourselves? I can’t get over that Jesus spent his last night on earth serving his followers. If anything, they should have been serving him. (Our mindset) That’s just it though. Our attitude should be…back to Philippians 2: 5b “Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. 7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men.”

He knew why he was here. Do we? There is joy in serving that we just don’t understand until we are in the middle of it.

“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. 3 Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Php 2:1–4.

When we follow Christ’s example, our lives change. Yes, Paul says if, but really we know. There is encouragement in Christ. There is consolation in love. There is fellowship with the Spirit. There is affection and mercy. Joy is found in thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings. The focus is on ONE goal. Rivalry and conceit have no place in the body of Christ. The humble view is others are more important than me. We have no greater example than Christ of doulos, let us walk in the truth.