Many people get caught up in the idea that they are too important to do certain tasks. But that is a misguided way of thinking.\u00a0 No one is too important to clean a bathroom, serve others food or pick up garbage.\u00a0 And the mark of truly successful people is that they to do all tasks, whether big or small, with grace.<\/p>\n
After I graduated from law school, my first boss was a judge. He had a staff of three: two secretaries and me.\u00a0 My law degree didn\u2019t matter to him.\u00a0 In his mind, I was new and therefore, I was at the bottom of the totem pole.\u00a0 So if he needed coffee (and sometimes a doughnut), I had to fetch it.\u00a0 I could have pouted and made a big stink about having to get his coffee, but I didn\u2019t.\u00a0 I was happy to have a job.\u00a0 So I put a smile on my face and fetched coffee.<\/p>\n
The most important thing that I learned at that job was not the law. Rather, I learned that my education didn\u2019t mean that certain tasks were beneath me.\u00a0 And it forced me to make a choice.\u00a0 I either could do menial tasks with irritation, or I could do them with grace.\u00a0 The choice was mine.\u00a0 So I chose grace.<\/p>\n
I have seen countless people get fired from their jobs due to their inability to be gracious. Of course, no employer will tell someone that they are being fired for that reason.\u00a0 Instead, they\u2019ll call it \u201cpoor work performance\u201d or \u201cinsubordination.\u201d\u00a0 But the reality is that many people get fired because they aren\u2019t gracious.<\/p>\n
Gracious behavior isn\u2019t just important in the workplace. It should be exercised at home as well.\u00a0 No member of a household is too important to cook a meal, mop the floor or take out the garbage.\u00a0 And the models for gracious behavior in any family are the parents.\u00a0 When children see that both parents are willing to do any task with a good attitude, they learn how to be gracious by example<\/em>.<\/p>\n Jesus knew the importance of gracious behavior. It is significant that he washed all the disciples\u2019 feet at the last supper.\u00a0 He was trying to impress upon them that no one is too good to serve another person.<\/p>\n \u201cThen he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, \u201cLord, do you wash my feet?\u201d \u00a0Jesus answered him, \u201cWhat I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.\u201d\u00a0 John 13: 5-7<\/p>\n What a powerful image. We tend to gloss over that part of the story, but we shouldn\u2019t.\u00a0 It forces us to ask ourselves, \u201cWould I be willing to wash the feet of others?\u201d\u00a0 If my answer is \u201cNo,\u201d then I need to take a hard look at myself.\u00a0 If Jesus could wash the dusty feet of the disciples, then what excuse do any of us have for being \u201ctoo important\u201d for any task?<\/p>\n Being a gracious person will take you far in life. People don\u2019t necessarily remember your mistakes or your triumphs.\u00a0 Instead, they remember your attitude.\u00a0 They remember whether you were willing to be helpful, or whether you were hard to ask for a favor.\u00a0 And people want to help people who are gracious.\u00a0 In fact, if you are a gracious person, you often don\u2019t even have to ask for help.\u00a0 Instead, offers for assistance and opportunities come looking for you.<\/p>\n Consider the ways in which you can graciously serve others today. Remember that it isn\u2019t the nature of the task that matters.\u00a0 Rather, what matters is our attitude when doing it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many people get caught up in the idea that they are too important to do certain tasks. But that is a misguided way of thinking.\u00a0 No one is too important to clean a bathroom, serve others food or pick up garbage.\u00a0 And the mark of truly successful people is that they to do all tasks,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n