It’s been too long since I last joined in “Five Minute Friday.” Here’s a description, by way of reminder:
Five Minute Friday is my favorite of writing link-ups hosted by Kate Motaung. Her description draws me back every week, and the community of FMF keeps me writing – “This is meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Just write.”
Join me today? A perfect *first* post if you, like me, find that it’s 8 days into the new year and you haven’t blogged yet in 2016. !!
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First. The word can bring tears to my eyes. Tears of joy because isn’t it this “first love” that God has for us what allows any of us to love Him or anyone else in return?
“First” stands in line ahead of a string of days in a year that still feels fresh, not as marred by pain and weariness as last year certainly was for me/us.
“First” can also be proud and gallant. And it crushes me to know that as a firstborn, it can too often become my modus operandi in relationships of all kinds. What makes me a good leader can cause me to be a difficult one to lead.
So this year – I want it to be the first year where I learn to lead by letting others go first. I want to be the first to listen, the first to apologize, the first to take “the low place.” It would be a good corrective for my life of pushing ahead and pushing others aside.
First – all of this is only possible because there is a God who loved me first. Who set aside his rights and took the low place – the vulnerable place – the place of clothing himself in the strength that seems counter-intuitive. A strength that calls us to “seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these other things will come” – a Kingdom characterized by its leader who took the place of a humble baby, then a servant who washed feet, and a sacrifice in our place. Because he was showing us how to love – and empowering us to love and keep loving first by putting ourselves last.
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Sneak preview for coming posts:
I hope you’ll stop back by soon!
hidden glory 
” I want to be the first to listen, the first to apologize, the first to take “the low place.”
I love this. It’s something I also aspire to. I’ve spent much time as a mom feeling like I have to fight for my rights. It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle when everyone need you all the time. What I want most is to cultivate the kind of servants heart that doesn’t demand it’s own way or acknowledge of status. Thank you for this reminder.
Thanks for your comment, Bethany! And it’s great to know we are not alone in this struggle are we?!