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Winter is usually all about rugby in our house. This year was a little different, as my boys decided to embark on a new journey and join their school’s wrestling team.
Being their first time to wrestle, I was a little unsure about how it would go as they began the season. However, after a few weeks, they began showing some real promise of excelling.
Fast forward to the week before the district meet. At their school, team members can challenge one another weekly to see who will wrestle at that week’s varsity match. Each school can only take one varsity wrestler per weight class, and my oldest son has multiple boys in his class. For most of the season he won the competitions and wrestled on varsity. Then the day of the final challenge came and he won that one, as well.
It was a proud dad moment for me to hear that my son, who is only a sophomore, won his weight class and would be wrestling on varsity at the district meet. I waited for him to get home that day so I could celebrate with him. As he walked in the door, I told him how excited I was for him. He thanked me but said, “Dad, I have something to tell you.”
He proceeded to tell me the teammate he defeated to secure the varsity spot is a senior and that he had decided to give up his spot to him. “I want him to have a chance in his last season,” my son said. “I want him to finish strong. I have two years left that I can do it.”
I should daily be seeking to exhaust my life to bring God glory by serving others.
I could not have been more proud of my son. He proved to me that as athletic as he is, those abilities are nothing compared to the strength of his character. My respect for him grew that day as he showed me the heart God is developing within him. My son was leading with others in mind and exemplifying the character of Christ.
Our culture does not think this way, but this is exactly what Jesus teaches us. He gave His life for us. He showed us what the ultimate sacrifice for others looks like. I should daily be seeking to exhaust my life to bring God glory by serving others. This is not always easy. Sometimes we can easily justify just doing things to serve ourselves. We lose sight of the principle of putting others first and indulge in personal gratification. In doing this, we lose the blessing of blessing others. Often, we may find that those blessings allow us to share the gospel with those we are putting ahead of ourselves.
This interaction with my son was transformative for me—my 16-year-old reminded me how significant it can be when we put others before ourselves and, in doing so, reflect the life of Jesus. I am grateful for this reminder the Lord sent through my son.
What about you? Are you seeking to serve others daily? Are you looking for opportunities to be a reflection of Jesus every day? Let us embrace this awesome privilege of serving like Jesus. I love you and am privileged to serve you!
