Servant Leaders

“A great man is always willing to be little.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves.”
– Dwight L. Moody

I get as alarmed about racial tensions and the violent demonstrations that often go with them as anyone. But one thing that I usually note with a rueful smile is the cast of characters who immediately rush in whenever we find ourselves in one of these difficult situations. The Reverend Al Sharpton is almost invariably there. Maybe Reverend Sharpton adds a calming influence in times of trouble and is a comfort to those who are embroiled in the troubles. He may be motivated to really do the right thing and to try to help. The cynical side of me thinks that maybe he just craves being the center of attention.

Sort of along these lines, I have read several accounts of social events at Mar-a-Lago in Florida where a special uninvited guest appeared and took the opportunity to address the attendees – former president Trump. I am sure the dumbfounded guests were taken aback, and really, what would you do if the former president showed up? Refuse to let him speak? I am not a Trump fan but geez, he IS the former president!! You MUST let the President speak, must you not? Perhaps Mr. Trump is just a social butterfly with a million friends who just enjoys celebrating with people. But that cynicism in me keeps rearing its ugly head again and tells me that may he TOO craves being the center of attention. OH shoot, after seeing his hourly tweets for four years I KNOW he loves being the center of attention.

What a contrasting experience we had last week. We had a tragedy in our extended family. Jan and I attended an INCREDIBLY sad funeral for a great young man stuck down literally in the prime of his life, leaving his wife and three children. Amid the grief that was freely flowing before, during and after the funeral I noted our Governor Walz in attendance. He was so unobtrusive that I had to look several times to make certain that it was him. It then occurred to me that our loved one was a student of his while he was a teacher in Mankato and played football for him while in high school. There was no fanfare with his arrival or departure, no press conference, no security detail (at least that I was able to detect) and no statements to the press. He simply came, grieved with the rest of us and left.

I am making no comments on how Governor Walz has served us through a couple of pretty difficult years. I am just noting how unusual it is for a public figure to not be in self-promotion mode twenty-four-seven-three sixty-five. Indeed, it seems that this is the road to success in so many avenues of life. Oh, how I long for servant leaders, leaders who do not seek for themselves but literally just want to do the work, to provide what their constituents need – whether the constituents are fans, customers, or citizens. I think that is one of the most admirable traits exhibited by George Washington, our greatest servant leader. He really did NOT seek acclaim. He commanded our armed forces in the Revolutionary War only out a sense of duty. And when the war was done and there were those who would have made him king, he wanted no part of any such thing. He resigned his commission and retreated back to Virginia until he was called again and reluctantly agreed to serve as President. He was truly my-kind-of-guy!!