When Samuel was around three years old, I found him happily singing one day, “Hallelujah, I’m walking with the King.”

I was curious if he knew what the song was about, so I asked him, “Samuel which king are you walking with?”

“King Herod,” he told me triumphantly.

What a contrast!  Jesus, the King of kings, the Prince of peace…and Herod, the self-centered agitator, who brought grief to those around him. 

Jesus…full of love and mercy. 

Herod…full of jealousy and suspicion.

“That explains why we’ve been having so many problems,” I laughingly told him.

Jesus showed us by example what it was like to take on the form of a servant.  He did not worry about his own reputation, chasing down every rumor.  He did not set the record straight. 

He was always putting the needs of others before his own wants.

This weekend, I’ve been convicted about that. 

Our back yard is unlevel and has needed help for a while.  Our property used to be a VFW years ago with a parking lot, so the soil isn’t very good. (In a previous post, I described the redemption of our property here.)

So finally this month, I ordered dirt and paid good money for it!  The pile that was dumped outside my gate has been needed for a long time. We had plans to fill in and level off places, but it’s just been hard to find the time.

After a week or two, my neighbors have started eyeing the dirt (and neighborhood children have had fun doing tricks with their bikes).  “Where did you get the dirt?” one of them asked my husband, Todd.  “I’ve had a stump removed in my yard, and I need dirt,” she explained.

She offered to even pay us, but Todd would not think of it.  He assured her that she was welcome to have some dirt.  In fact, he volunteered to help haul it down to her yard.  When he told me about her 6 foot by 6 foot area that needed filled in, I cringed. 

Todd patiently explained to me.  He wanted to do everything possible to win the neighbors to Jesus…even if it meant hauling down a trailer load of dirt for free.

Todd has gotten a chance to share his testimony with one of these neighbors recently and told the miracle of his adoption and what God has done.  Both of them stood on the sidewalk and cried.

We’ve taken pies up and down the street.  We’ve been Christmas caroling to their houses.  We’ve even had the opportunity to pray with several of them on different occasions.

Many times in family prayer, we call out the names of our neighbors, going down the houses in our minds, and bringing these to God.

And yet, I found giving up “my” dirt was difficult.  I wanted to hold on to it.  It was mine!

Somehow the money did not matter to Todd.  All that mattered was that he wanted to do something to show these people, once again, that we love them…and that Jesus does too!

Jesus who left heaven to become a servant. 

Even as He made His way to the cross, He opened not his mouth!  How many times have I opened my mouth when I should not have?  Or tried to set the record straight even if it was not out loud but in my mind? How many times have I held onto things that are “mine” and not wanted to give them up?

Which king do I want to walk with?  I think I’ll walk with the Prince of peace.

I’ll take Jesus.