Servanthood Rewarded

Yesterday (Monday) we met with our two staff to share God’s Word, pray, debrief, identify priorities and the way forward. All of last week, both Chris and Esther were involved in the annual Scripture Union of Uganda (SUU) Planning Week. Some aspects were not easy for them, but they also shared how God met them in a fresh way, particularly through the devotionals shared by various ones.

They then shared a story that one of the speakers, a member of the Scripture Union National Board, included in his challenge—it was his personal experience. This Board Member served for a time as the PA (Personal Assistant) of the leader of their church denomination. He carried the Bishop’s bags, shined his shoes, and assisted the Bishop as he traveled and spoke. The job was not glamorous and he sometimes got teased by his fellow Ugandans. He traveled with the Bishop on several occasions to the U.S., assisting and serving him in any way he could.

A few years ago, a school in Kentucky invited the PA to speak to them instead of the Bishop! When he finished his lecture, he noticed the door open to the Library. As he was admiring all the volumes of books, he noticed that about the only person reading in the library was an older (white) gentleman with a hat and rumpled collar. Spontaneously, the PA asked if he could straighten the man’s collar. With that done, he gently patted the man on the back, “God bless you” and left the library.

The next morning the PA had a note that he should meet the Dean of the school promptly at 10:00 a.m. As the PA took a seat in the Dean’s office he noticed the older gentleman was there. “O no,” he thought, “I should have minded my own business; maybe I offended him.” The Dean began by confirming that he had been in the library and had indeed straightened the collar and patted the man’s shoulder. By now the PA was sure he was in trouble. But then the Dean motioned to the older gentleman to speak. “Your kindness to me yesterday meant more than I can say.” The older gentleman went on to explain how he was suffering from a serious illness. “I want to reward your kindness with this.” The stunned PA opened the envelope to see a check for $10,000. And I plan to send you this amount every year. Now, several years later this PA continues to receive money from the Kentucky gentleman who was so blessed by the PA’s kind deed.

With that testimony, the SUU Board Member challenged the SUU staff, whose financial reimbursement is small, to faithfully serve God and others with humility, diligence and kindness. You never know what God might do. A reward awaits, sometimes here on earth but for sure in eternity.