INFLUENCE.
- whatshesaid2020
- Jun 18, 2021
- 3 min read
This weekend we celebrate Father's Day. We celebrate the men in our lives who have influenced our past and help create our future. They could be our dads, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, cousins, or friends like family. They could be teachers, bosses, coaches, mentors or pastors.
When I think of the two special men in my past, I am reminded of the influence they have had on my life - my dad, Jack Baker, and my great-uncle, Mike Jones. These men were connected to each other before I was born. My Uncle Mike, along with my Aunt Ethel, raised my dad. They brought him home from the hospital, put him in a dresser drawer for a crib, and raised him like their own son alongside his cousin.
When my dad married at a young age, he lived next door to my uncle and aunt until their deaths in 1989 and then moved into their house. My dad lived in the same city block for over 65 years in only two houses. When my dad passed away three years ago, he left a legacy as a coach that helped integrate sports for all children living in the north end of Salina, KS. My uncle left a legacy of repairing cars for those who couldn't afford it and inviting people of all colors to our dinner table for food and fellowship.
Integration wasn't something we talked about, it was modeled every day in my family.
When I walked down the aisle on my wedding day, they both escorted me. Uncle Mike first half way and then dad all the way to the altar to give me away. I was their shared child. My son, Matthew, and daughter, Dana, became their grandchildren. My husband, Doug, their son. They shared responsibility for me growing up and I called them Dad and Uncle Mike, respectfully.
What I was most influenced by from both of these important men in my life was their servant leadership. Robert K. Greenleaf, founder of The Center for Servant Leadership stated, “The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first.”
Noted as a leadership style, a servant-leader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the “top of the pyramid,” servant leadership is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible (https://www.greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership).
While today we talk more openly about leadership styles, I'm not sure that was on the mind of my dad or uncle when they were serving others. When they were inviting them to play sports, eat at our table, spend time with our family, go to the circus with us, camp in our backyard, play ball in the empty field across the street from our house, or share our clothes and food.
These two men, that I pay tribute to this Father's Day, taught us a sense of community through their daily modeling of servant leadership. They influenced my husband and son, and as a result impacted who they are today. Hard working, God-fearing, and family-oriented men.
Who has been the man in your life?
Was he a model of servant leadership?
We know from the scriptures that Jesus was the greatest example of servant leadership. Matthew 20:28 states, "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
So this Father's Day...
I hope you reflect on those who influenced your past so you would have a future.
Be sure to thank God for him.
I hope you reflect on the man you are and the impact you are making on the future of others.
I will be sure to thank God for you.
What She Said ~ Beverly
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