A Servant's Heart

It's hard to be a servant. Really. Speaking for myself (Matt), I have been a performer for nearly thirty years now. In my world, people come to see me play. I am used to being the focus of attention. I like it there. Being part of the supporting cast is not as fun, but that's why we're here. (It sure isn't for the food!)

Saturday, we had a wonderful clinic in Canillá. It was quite challenging with Leslie not being there - she really anchors that entire thing! - but we survived. And, really, didn't just survive, we thrived. We had some excellent experiences with our patients, we had the opportunity to pray with several of them regarding different issues they had, and we really had more patience than we had patients - and we were not running short on patients.

Today was not quite as fun. We really weren't completely swamped with patients, but it felt like we were. They were exceptionally pushy today, all crowding the door for the entire five and a half hours we were there. Every time we opened the door to let a patient out, several of those waiting outside would push their way in and try to explain why they should be allowed to jump the line (numbers get handed out on a first-come, first-served basis), or be seen even without a number. And after we had seen all of the patients who had numbers, another half dozen or so were still outside wanting to know what we were going to do for them.

If you want to really get me going, display an attitude of entitlement. That'll do it every time. But the real key for us is to always keep the focus on why we're here. Today, that was very difficult and we were definitely better at it on Saturday. Why? Who knows. But it's a demonstration of how hard it is sometimes to be part of the crew instead of being the main attraction.

See, the universe already has a main attraction. None of us can really compete with Him, nor should we try, so our jobs are to be crew members. We're here to set up the mic stands, plug in the lights, and stand back while He dazzles the world with His show. For me, that's hard, but it's what I've been called to do.

Tomorrow, we drive two hours to clinic, then another hour to a grocery store, then three hours home. The shopping and the four hour drive home will be weighing on our minds during clinic. There's really no way around that. However, pray for us to keep our focus where it belongs, and like we like to say, that we have more patience (with a "C") than we have patients (with a "T").