Doormats

some of you may know that i'm attending the Foudations in Ministry course at holy spirit church each thursday, and for everyone's benefit (as well as for my own :P) i shall attempt to post sth that i learnt that strikes me each week. :) disclaimer: amanda's opinions are not the absolute authority of anything, and should be taken with a lot of salt and your own mental churnings.

last week's topic was on discipleship and servanthood. one of the adults commented that being a servant, was kinda like being a doormat. you get stepped on, you are barely noticed for what good you are doing, and everyone wipes their dirt on you. letting all these happen to you willingly and without fighting back, is truly that kind of selfless servanthood we should aspire to.

however, knowing ourselves, we can't really be that loving and say to everyone, "come step all over me." some of us may even think that it's not the right thing to do, letting ppl get their selfish ways with you and not standing up for what is right and fair. perhaps someone accused you of doing sth you didn't, and you had to suffer for the injustice. if we didn't know our purpose of being a doormat, slowly but surely, we will become the doormat in the cartoon below, that says "LEAVE".

praise God for "dogs" who still barge into the kingdom of God even though we are such negative doormats. :P

what then, is our function as doormats? we are there, at the door to God's kingdom, waiting to welcome all who pass by. we are there to prepare ppl to enter the House, for them to wipe their feet clean, for them to step on as they adjust their clothes and clear their throats. we are there as a sign for all to see, to show passerbys who this House belongs to. and in the end, that is all we are asked to do, really. we are like John the baptist, proclaiming the coming of Christ to the world, and den pointing his own disciples to the Truth, the Way and the Light--who is not himself. we draw attention to ourselves only in so far as to draw attention to the One who is greater than ourselves. :)

we need not be plain and boring doormats, for we can never outshine our Father's House in all its glory. :) we can be beautifully coloured doormats, and ppl will know that the House is infinitely more beautiful than us. for if the Owner of the House bothers to keep His doormat pretty and clean, den the inside of the House must be splendid! :D

so go ahead, go be a beautiful doormat today! ;)

and one of my fav :P