The Direction of Service | Faculty Commons

Matt Green
Sport Pedagogy,
University of Alabama

Recently at our Christian Faculty and Staff meeting I was asked to lead this discussion:

“How can we be more Christ-like in service?”

My first question was, “How would Jesus go about serving?”

Initially I thought that I could be a servant through pouring my heart into teaching and helping students develop skills enhancing their marketability.

Then it hit me.

Denying myself may be a large key to service.

It’s Not About Me

As faculty we live within the pecking order of the university – far below regents or trustees, and far above undergraduates. Serving anyone above me might be done out of a sense of duty – part of my job. However, serving in the other direction (those lower on the hierarchy) is different. It’s easier to ignore, and with fewer consequences for me.

In the university where I work, research outweighs teaching, with service barely counting at all. Consequently MY tenure, MY promotion, MY merit raises, etc. depend on MY research which is supported by graduate students which may be more beneficial to me than to them. To deny myself may often mean putting MY work on the backburner and stopping to help a student.

A student who had procrastinated (despite my pleas to work ahead) showed up recently for advisory help. He had no appointment, no pen/notebook, and no plan –only a blank stare and a poor record in my last class.

It happened while I was working on an article that I really was enthusiastic about getting out for review. I thought “How dare him interrupt me while I’m working?” Decision time — do I continue working on what would certainly be a “cure for cancer” quality paper, or stop and help the undeserving undergrad?

What would Jesus value more?

What would Jesus value more? We often view the student who is late or without appointment, unprepared, who failed to show up for six of the last 12 meetings in a current class, or who has obvious issues with alcohol or otherwise, as “undeserving” and we forget that they are a child of God. While not condoning tardiness, I’m elated that Jesus decided not to wait on someone who was worthy to die for, before surrendering to the cross.

The same student, who appears undeserving of our help, is a parallel to the relationship we have with Christ. We are totally undeserving of His love.

The next time my work competes with an undeserving student, my challenge should be to consider the value of serving that student vs. publishing another paper. While the university may value one over another, which one would God appreciate most???