Sammy Morris was an unassuming young man from Africa who came to the United States to go to school. The road he chose for himself was a difficult one, but he never let it stop him from succeeding.

When he arrived at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, the school's president asked him what room he wanted. Sammy said simply, "If there is a room nobody wants, give it to me." Later the president commented, "I turned away with my eyes full of tears. I was asking myself whether I was willing to take what nobody else wanted."

The president of Taylor University posed a good question, and I must admit it is one that would test my mettle. I mean honestly, who would willingly take shoddy accommodations? It is human nature to want to take the best seat in the house.

How many times have we watched sporting events on television only to see the cameras pan to the luxury skyboxes where the owner and his guests were enjoying the game in their plush, fully functional home away from home? These seats command the best view and the highest price.

A desire to get the best is not reserved just for sporting events. Have you ever watched people vying for the closest parking space near the grocery store? People sometimes risk collisions in a desperate effort to walk a few less paces to the door. The faraway parking spaces remain vacant and are seldom used unless the employees are required to park there. Human nature says, "Take care of me first, then I'll look to the needs of others."

Whether it is Hollywood or the world of sports, greatness is measured in a number of ways. Popularity, money, awards and physical attractiveness are but some of the ways people are ranked. But the few stars who are given instant status and receive special treatment aren't always good role models (to put it mildly).

What is true greatness, and is there a formula to achieve it? Though Sammy Morris may not have realized it, his example of giving preference to others while willingly taking what remained, made him great. He displayed greatness through abasement.

Jesus Abased Himself

There is no better example of greatness through humility than the one set by our Savior and King, Jesus Christ. As the God of the Old Testament, Jesus certainly was great. Jeremiah refers to Him as "Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the Lord of Hosts" (Jeremiah 32:18). Yet for our sakes, Jesus abased Himself and was born of a human mother. Defenseless and in need of care, the Son of God submitted Himself to His earthly parents.

We see this willing attitude of humility following the spring Holy Days when Joseph and Mary found Jesus listening and asking questions in the temple. After returning home with His parents, Luke tells us, "Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them" (Luke 2:51). Jesus knew why He was born and had already begun doing His Father's business, yet He still subjected Himself to His earthly parents and, of course, to God the Father.

Jesus Christ, who was the greatest teacher to ever walk this earth, appears to have led a very normal life as a child. In the eyes of the neighbors and friends He was just the son of a carpenter, not of a great person like a high priest or rabbi.

Though Christ had all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), He modeled a form of greatness that was totally different from what His disciples envisioned.

Jesus was willing to enter into conversations with people the Pharisees totally shunned. The Samaritans were "dogs," tax collectors were subhuman, and people with physical maladies were constantly avoided. To the Pharisees, all tragic situations were a result of sin.

Jesus encountered such a case as He was approached by a leper—who in the eyes of some, was a walking dead man. Jesus, however, was willing to abase Himself in the eyes of the people to help this unfortunate person.

"And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, 'Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.' Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, 'I am willing; be cleansed.' Immediately his leprosy was cleansed" (Matthew 8:2-3).

Jesus wasn't looking for any reward for doing this; He simply sought to help this man. The man was probably poor, and had nothing he could offer Christ (healing wasn't something that could be bought anyway) except to say thank you. Christ wasn't looking for recognition for doing the right thing, and this is the point He tried time and again to get across to His disciples. Doing the right thing sometimes means doing a thankless or difficult thing. It means descending into situations others might not be comfortable with.

Caring for Kevin

When I worked part-time at a private institution for children with mental retardation, autism and mental illness, three mornings a week it was my job to wake up Kevin. Kevin was a nonverbal teenager with autism, and he did very little to help himself with his social skills. Each morning when I saw Kevin I could count on him having soiled his Depends (adult diaper), and it fell to me to clean him up and dress him for school.

I will spare you the unpleasant details of some mornings, but suffice it to say this was sometimes a thankless job. Some people wouldn't touch Kevin until he was clean. Some of the overnight workers neglected to wake him up at 2 a.m. to take him to the bathroom, for they hoped that someone else would be in and see to this unpopular duty.

Why tell this story? Perhaps there are some in our congregations who are social misfits and emotionally needy. We know if we approach them, they will take up a great deal of our time, and we think it is unlikely we will really be able to help them. It would be so easy to leave it to someone else to serve them, while we spend our time with those who like us. There were some days when my attitude was just as smelly as Kevin's soiled pajamas. Sometimes I didn't want to take on the task nobody else wanted to do, yet I did it because it was the right thing to do.

Jesus Christ went out and cleansed people. He willingly descended to where they were to help them. He made people whole so they would have an opportunity to lead a normal life, and He never gave up on anyone. There were times when it appeared people took advantage of Christ's willingness to descend. Luke recorded a wonderful miracle performed by Jesus as He healed 10 men shackled with leprosy.

"And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. So Jesus answered and said, 'Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?' And He said to him, 'Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well'" (Luke 17:15-19).

Again, Christ wasn't looking for prestige or status; He wanted all glorification to go the Father. His work was solely based on love. My teenage buddy Kevin never gave me one thank-you for all those fresh changes of clothes, and that was fine. I just wanted him to be clean. The major difference is that Jesus Christ's attitude was always right, whereas mine needed a major overhaul at times.

Perhaps this is why Christ's disciples had difficulty processing the importance of greatness through abasement, for they looked around them and viewed those who wielded authority with distinction and style. To the disciples, those who sat in the seats of power and prestige were great. Jesus, knowing this, used examples and stories to make the point of what greatness truly is.

Where Is the Best Seat in the House?

In Luke 14:7-11, Jesus is teaching the opposite of nearly everything we hear today about greatness and success. This must have perplexed His disciples, for it is not easy information to digest. Where does Jesus say the best seat resides?

"When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best pl,ace, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you." I think it's quite clear that Jesus had more on His mind than just the seating arrangements at a wedding.

If we stopped for a moment to realize what we really are apart from God, then perhaps we would more readily humble ourselves and count it joy when we are not on the top in the world's eye.

A good mission statement for this new way of achieving greatness is found in Mark 9:35, where Jesus said, "If anyone desires to be first [the greatest], he shall be last of all and servant of all." Christ did not take away their power. On the contrary, He was enhancing their power and greatness through service to others. By choosing to abase themselves, they would be great in the eyes of God, and He would advance them to higher offices.

Driving the Point Home

Jesus Christ prepared His new leaders by telling them that although they would have power and authority as leaders, they would be serving as if they had none. To drive the point home, we have the example of the young rich man who inquired of Christ what he must do to inherit eternal life. Christ's answer, and the dejection on the face of the young man as he strode away, baffled the disciples.

Jesus again reminded them of the type of leadership He wanted and the rewards for obedience in following this method. "'And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, 'Who then can be saved?' But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' Then Peter answered and said to Him, 'See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?' So Jesus said to them, 'Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first'" (Matthew 19:24-30).

Jesus assured His disciples that they would be great, but the formula for greatness would be unlike anything they had ever experienced. They had already begun that journey, which is probably why Peter asked his question, perhaps thinking, "How low must we go?"

What person would they be unwilling to help? What job would be too beneath them? To what degree would they abase themselves? As the children of God, these are all good questions to ask ourselves.

Jesus Christ submitted Himself to what I call "positive humiliation." He willingly emptied Himself and came as a servant although it would have been fitting if He had brought His portable throne with Him. Though He was God, it was the example He set that helped His disciples assume their leadership roles with humility and sensitivity following the Feast of Pentecost. They willingly faced thankless situations and grew because of them, all the while descending into greatness.

On the night of the Passover, Jesus told Peter and the other disciples they would not understand until later why it was so important that He wash their feet. We see that influence of Christ's teachings as we see John adopting the mother of Christ at the crucifixion site, and Peter telling the Church of his soon-coming demise, yet serving, teaching, preaching and enduring until that time should arrive (2 Peter 1:13-14).

Getting Our MBA

The late Dave Thomas, founder of the Wendy's restaurant chain, illustrated the example of greatness through abasement in his biography entitled: Well Done: The Common Guy's Guide to Everyday Success. He wrote, "I got my MBA long before my GED" (Mr. Thomas never graduated from high school). He continued, "I even have a photograph of me in my MBA graduation outfit—a snazzy, knee length work apron . . . It was a case of leading by example. At Wendy's MBA does not mean Master of Business Administration. It means Mop Bucket Attitude. It's how we define satisfying the customer through cleanliness, quality food, friendly service, and atmosphere."

Dave Thomas was a successful man, but his greatness stemmed from the fact that he was not too proud to put on an apron and clean where no one else wanted.

When it comes to the care and treatment of our fellow laborers, the children of God should be no different. Are we making sure our spiritual house is clean and of good quality? Are our personal example and conversations promoting the health and spiritual growth of the Body of Christ?

Is our service to the people of God friendly? These are questions in need of honest answers, for they strike at the very heart of what we have been called to do.

The apostle Paul understood what it was to abase himself in order to serve God and His people. He said, "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ" (Philippians 3:7)

It is important to note that in abasing himself, Paul never surrendered his authority as the person in charge of shepherding the flock of God. By using the formula for leadership established by Jesus Christ, Paul actually enhanced his office and was able to reach out to a wide variety of believers.

Paul went out and got his "MBA" that took him down the road to true greatness. He was willing to pursue a path that sometimes was unpleasant and had few rewards physically speaking, but to God it was very important and not overlooked. This is similar to the willing sacrifice Sammy Morris made to take the least of all rooms at the university.

Greatness through abasement may not give us physical riches, special titles or even milk commercials. It's about giving preference to others while working through the tough times together.

What a winning formula! Descending into greatness! The words of James ring true, "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:10). UN