first and alone

Friday September 25th, Mark 9: ³³They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" ³⁴But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.  ³⁵Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." The dilemmas of the disciples often portray the reality of the Body of Christ, the world of you and I.  How often does the desire to get ahead demand our allegiance?  We might play with the definition of ahead, we may tweak the description of the scope of our endeavors, but in the end, it is all just trying to say that here, within this defined sphere, I am at least ahead of that guy over there.  Jesus calls us to a new reality.  Unless you are all topsy tervy, you’re losing.  The first will be last and those who seek only for themselves will find a world emptied of all they truly desire.  So seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you.  It is not about getting to the finish line first and alone, it is about enjoying the journey with your friends.