I’m fond of Simon Sinek, who is a leadership coach, author, and speaker. He wrote a really great book entitled “Leaders Eat Last” in which he asserted that positions and titles of importance mean nothing compared to the welfare of the entire team. In the book, he shared thoughts by General George J. Flynn, who highlighted that in the U.S. Marines, when troops line up to eat, they do so from junior to senior. Though there are no official rules about this, the privates and the corporals eat first and the high-ranking officers have their turn when everyone else has gone. In fact, sometimes the officers will serve the infantry in the hopes of conveying the message that no one is better than another when working towards a common goal. You see, leadership never centers on the one heading the charge — it’s about the welfare of the entire team and its ability to move forward to accomplish something greater than the sum of its parts. 

My friend, there’s a reason why the Lord said that the last will be first and the first will be last. He came to earth to establish a Kingdom whose mission is to change the world through service. Rather than developing a following or gaining influence for the sake of power, His aim was to unify and empower people to proclaim the message of hope and salvation to those in need of help and compassion. By washing the feet of the very ones He created, Jesus proved His message to be genuine, life-changing, and revolutionary. Follow Christ’s example: surrender your pride, lead from the back of the line, and you will be astonished by how He uses you to expand His Kingdom!