"I want to be wanted, but I need to be needed."
I listened to a devotional this morning on the Servant's Heart. How many of those have I heard over the years? There was a different thought that was presented though, which is basically that a servant is not a slave.
'Servant' doesn't imply the absence of authority or responsibility. Just because someone is a servant does not mean others should not respect or honor them. Servant in the context of John 13:14 is a term directed at leaders and great men, not monkeys whose life involves doing exactly what they're told without thinking or questioning.
A servant's heart is more concerned with doing whatever is in the best interests of those around him, especially those for whom he is responsible. I know in business, when decisions need to be made that are not cut and dry, or where there is no right answer from a business perspective, sometimes I have used the question, "What is in the best interests of my employees?" to make the decision. Sometimes, the answer to that question is much more clear than the business perspective.
And since it is in their best interests, the people around me would work harder to make my decision work out the best way it could. They put more energy into the decision than they would into a different decision that was not in their best interests. That extra energy can make the difference between a successful decision and a bad one.
So when we get cornfungled, and aren't sure what the next move should be in some situation, perhaps we need to take a look at those around us and ask, "What would be best for them?" or "What would make them happy?" Sometimes it just feels good to make someone else feel good.
And it's OK if others see us as a servant.