At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ~Matthew 18:1 

We all want to be the best. Whether it is in sports, at work, at school or in life, we want to excel. We want people to notice us. We want to leave a mark.

Last week I got to spend a few days with my grandfather-in-law, Earl Buckley, in Mankato, Kansas. If you have never heard of that town, I am not surprised. It doesn’t even make a blip on a radar screen. For those who know the TV show, The Andy Griffith Show and its town of Mayberry, Mankato isn’t that big, but life still runs about the same.

Earl has lived in Kansas almost all his life, except for the time he spent in the Navy during the Korean War. He is a man who has no worldly recognition, nor does he seek it. He has lived a pretty simple life compared to some, yet to be around him you know you are in the presence of a great man.

Earl has been involved in his church his entire life. He is a Gideon, and despite the fact that he has a hard time getting around, he spent Memorial Day weekend driving (with my wife and children) around to small country cemeteries decorating tombstones of family members and those for which no family remains.

But that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. Earl was a farmer. He planted and farmed his own land, and when that wasn’t enough to keep his family going, he went to harvesting other’s land; from southern Kansas all the way up to North Dakota. In addition, he began working in construction and has a book filled with pictures of all of the buildings he put up in his town and the surrounding area. He did a lot of this until just a few years ago when he was encouraged to take it easy.

It wasn’t just that Earl was getting older and shouldn’t be driving a combine anymore, although that was one of the reasons. It was not common for him to spend a week or two bringing in a crop and get paid in homemade pies or some other form of barter. And I am not talking about all-you-can-eat-for-a-year pie; just a pie or two. When questioned by his family he would say, “Well, they don’t have much and I have a combine just sittin’ here. So what else am I going to do?” For Earl, to help someone, even at the detriment to himself, is always more important. Even at 87 and having an increasingly difficult time hearing, seeing and keeping his balance, he is out in his community trying to help others. It is just who he is…or from another perspective, it is who Christ has made him.

When the disciples asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in heaven?”, they were probably expecting to hear names like Moses, Elijah, King David, or maybe Sampson, Abraham or Debra. They were seeking to be on that list. James and John even go so far to ask Jesus if they can sit at his right and left hand in heaven, a place only reserved for the most honored of people. Yet this is not the answer that Jesus gives them. Jesus says to them, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

Children in Jesus’ time were not like children today. Parents didn’t schedule their lives around activities, they didn’t make play dates for them. Children were of little to no value; unless you were the oldest boy, who would be the heir to the house. For Jesus to make such a comment was to change the perspective on what it means to be great. Greatness was no longer something to aspire to, it wasn’t something that meant gaining an attribute or accolade in some way, but instead was something of a taking away. It was the removal of pride, the ousting of arrogance, it was the lowering of brow, the humbleness of heart and the innocent hunger of the child to please and serve. Jesus’ definition stands in opposition to the world’s.

You might think to yourself, “Sure, that’s what people are like in a small town” or “Earl is just from a different generation,” but is that it? I think not. When I sit with Earl I see someone who does his best to live out the gospel message. And the reality is, when his earthly journey is over, his death will go unnoticed by most of the world. But to those who know and love him, a gentle tear will appear on their hearts stitched up by the promise of eternal life through Christ. And I guarantee you that heaven will rejoice in his presence…

And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Matthew 25:40

Over a lengthy term of my life in education, I have heard many parents’ dreams for their children. They, of course, have ranged from such things as success in careers, happiness with life, financial security and finding true love. I can only think of one conversation among hundreds, where a father said his greatest wish for his daughter was that she would become a missionary. If you are thinking, “better his kids than mine,” you are not alone because that was my thought at the time of this conversation years ago.

There is a little more to this story. Dan had also been a missionary several times, both as a child and an adult. His father was a doctor, and his mother, a nurse. They spent their entire lives on mission trips, too. You might say serving God was the family business. I remember Dan telling me that he wanted his children to see the same sort of world he did; a world stricken with poverty and disease, a world discouraged and distraught, but also a world full of hope and promise. Knowing this world brought Dan closer to God as it had with his parents and, by now, certainly has with his kids. Dan, however, didn’t see the world as a messy place. He just looked around and saw Jesus. He saw his Savior time and time again in the least of these.

I mention Dan’s story as a reminder to us all. Whether young or old, parent or not, we all have a duty once we enlist in the church. God calls us all to see Jesus in everyone, to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to spread the Word. We can listen to sermons and read books. We can dream of making a difference in the world. We can send money to starving children. These are all wonderful and amazing things. But, I am growing convinced that if we want to inspire the next generation with a heart for mission, it comes in lessons that are caught more than in the lessons that are taught. We can talk and talk and talk about how important it is to love our neighbor, but if those around us don’t see it in action the words are meaningless. If the reach of our faith extends no further than a Sunday morning service, then too, the reach of our servant heart will be only a fraction of its potential. The next generation’s faith will only mirror our own.

My friend has a heart for mission because God has inspired him to continue in his family’s ways. I have a growing heart for mission because the more I see, the more I do, and the more I do, the more I see. If you are struggling to find a heart for mission, if you are trying to instill selflessness in your children or family, or if you just think maybe God has more planned for your life than the status quo, I have some simple advice. Roll up your sleeves and get involved. Just like Dan’s spirit descended through his parents and then into his children (and likely someday into his grandchildren) we need to pass on a heart for mission to the children in our care. The fact is that we all learn best though doing. So let’s all do something! 

In my little corner of the world, Litchfield Park, Arizona, I receive a free community newspaper twice a week. The paper reports on events in Goodyear, Avondale, Tolleson, Litchfield Park and surrounding environs. 

The most entertaining part of The West Valley View is the “Letters to the Editor” section. The letters are published exactly as submitted, typos, spelling and grammar included. It makes me think some of these folks never finished sixth grade.

In every edition there is a letter which I judge as ignorant or hateful. I ask myself, “On what planet did these Neaderthals come from?”  

Here’s a recent example:

Editor: 

“Throughout my corporate career, I was subjected to countless seminars on Affirmative Action, Diversity, Inclusion, and Tolerance. After awhile I began to see through the smokescreen. These seminars were never about treating everyone equally but rather giving special privileges to groups who are typically non white or non Asian.

“I learned that there is a hierarchy of victim hood or entitlement promoted by a cabal of government progressives and supported by big business, the entertainment industry, and many universities. 

“The hierarchy is as follows in today’s culture:

“Homosexuality trumps Heterosexuality (transgenderism will soon bypass homosexuality) 

“Black skin color trumps white skin color

“Female gender trumps male gender

“Islam trumps Judaism and Christianity. 

“This obsession with abnormal sexuality, skin color, gender, and alternate religions may also be referred to as Identity Politics where what really matters, namely intellectual or attribute diversity, is sadly mostly inconsequential.

“To many modern progressives, the ideal presidential candidate would be a black Lesbian sympathetic to Islam. The most undesirable presidential candidate would be a white straight Christian or Jewish male.

“The Diversity Cult has given our country the inept racist now occupying the White House. Like so many agendas of modern day Obama-like liberals, Identity Politics is destroying our country.

“Affirmative Action is legalized discrimination.

“Diversity without unity is chaos.

“Inclusion without discernment is suicidal.

“Tolerance without convictions is cowardly.”

Name Not Disclosed
Goodyear, Arizona

It’s a short and inexorable step from this kind of poisonous rhetoric to Dylan Roof to the terrorist shootings in Tunisia.

What I have learned in life from my faith:

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.” –St Francis of Assissi.

“There are three important lessons in life–be kind, be kind, be kind” –William James

“Love suffereth long.” –I Corinthians 13. 

“You can disagree without being disagreeable.” 

P.S. I know I ought to pray for the letter writer, just not right now!!!