For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.
Mark 10:45
This year, my role as a leader taught me many things, but perhaps the most impactful thought, and my summary word for 2016, is service. Leadership of all kinds, I've been reminded, is largely a position of serving one's followers - giving time and effort for their benefit, bearing the unseen load so they are enabled to be successful. Servanthood is often mundane, lonely, and thankless, and must have a driving force to prevent it from becoming either unbearably frustrating or mere heartless duty. Belief in a cause is not enough - you can't serve a cause. Nothing but love for those one serves will suffice to keep service fruitful and alive. "Through love serve one another" (Galatians 5:13). The joy of true service with love is that, expecting no return, it becomes an honor and reward in itself because its focus is completely on the one(s) served.
Christ Himself is, as always, the perfect example - He wholeheartedly served those closest to Him as well the thousands who crossed His path. He was driven by love, and looked for no reward but the ultimate benefit of those for whom He gave of Himself. He held nothing back, not even His life. In the great divine paradox, He who most deserves to be served is the greatest Servant of all. This, Jesus tells us, is the measure of greatness in God's eyes - not how many subordinates you command, but how willingly you offer your unconditional service to even the most undeserving.