If you have been online at all in the past few days, you have probably seen posts on the latest Miss America pageant. Outshining the name of who won is the story of Miss Colorado and her talent performance. Instead of doing the usual song/dance/musical routine or another unusual talent, Miss Colorado chose to do a monologue on being a nurse to an Alzheimer’s patient.
What has caused so much attention is the comments made on The View that many people felt were critical and made fun of the performance. This situation has caused many nurses to rally in support of the contestant. If you look past the media hype and the news story, you uncover another truth. Read comments by nurses on these sites and you will see they all feel misunderstood or underappreciated.
Selfless Acts by Selfish People
People are naturally selfish. Just look at a baby or toddler who doesn’t want to share or who wants something right now. Selfishness is an inborn trait, so many people cannot understand how a person could choose a career or ministry that takes so much more from them than it gives.
People involved in service to others often never hear praise or receive acclaim. They are forgotten and even hated for what they do. Others just don’t understand how they can continue to minister to others and sacrifice themselves willingly when their natural mentality is “what’s in it for me?”
Responding to the Critics
Those involved in Christian ministry are even more misunderstood. Even those who know about Jesus often see Him only as a good man, not someone who can inspire others to let go of their selfishness for the sake of others.
And yet, Jesus demonstrated what real service is about when He washed His disciples’ feet and told them to serve others in the same way. It is this command of our Lord’s that we continue to honor more than 2,000 years later. He got to the heart of what being a Christian is all about.
Whether you are involved in formal ministry or serving whenever you see the opportunity, you are following Jesus’ command. The world will never understand this concept, but it is in honoring God that we receive our rewards. We may never hear applause or acclaim from the mouths of people, but someday we will be given the highest praise possible when God tells us, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
