I am writing early on Easter morning (5:30 a.m.), as I am finishing up the last batch of maple syrup for the year. I am struck by the intersection of Easter morning, maple syrup production, and servant leadership.
I think Easter morning totally puts an emphasis on our call to servant leadership. It is the glorious day of remembrance of our Lord and Savior’s resurrection and the finished work he did in SERVICE to God the Father on our behalf.
I woke extremely early this Easter morning thinking about servant leadership, the Triune God, and how thankful I am for what He has done for me. This is what the Triune God means to me as it relates to servant leadership:
- God the Father:
- As the creator of the World and the giver of all the blessings that we have, I desire to be of service to Him and all of His creation. God drives the desire for me to want to serve!
- God the Son:
- As our Savior, Jesus came to earth with a clear purpose. He energized his team and challenged them to raise the bar and build relationships to gain additional team members. Jesus embodied the values everyday and provided the perfect model of servant leadership, all the way to the cross. He has risen…He has risen indeed!!
- Holy Spirit:
- The Holy Spirit lives within me to allow me to align with Jesus. The Holy Spirit provides the power to live and share the abundant life, which Jesus promised to all who trust and obey him. The Spirit also provides all the attributes of a servant leader such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I know without the Holy Spirit I would not be a servant leader.
I am in awe of God and all His creation, which brings me to the maple syrup production. Pure maple syrup is a gift from God. Sap comes straight from the trees, you boil it down without adding anything, and you have the most phenomenal sweet tasting maple syrup that enhances about any type of food that you pour it over. It is a gift from our Creator.
However, there is a lot of work that goes into getting sap from the tree to pouring maple syrup over your pancakes. That is where I am also in absolute awe for the number of servant leaders that put in endless hours helping out at MN Maple Ridge, LLC to make this happen each year.
My family and friends come together, sacrifice their extremely valuable time, and provide the labor and camaraderie to make this one of the most special times of the year. So you combine the model of servant leadership that I see at MN Maple Ridge, with the model of Jesus resurrection on my behalf this Easter morning and I am more excited than ever to continue to do whatever I can to “Awaken the servant hearts within leaders and equip them to make a significant impact on the world!”
As you reflect on your leadership, what drives you to make a significant impact on the world?
Mark
Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God Colossians 3:1