What Does it Mean to be a Servant?

     Hey y'all.  Wondering today what it means to be a servant.  Over the last several months, Tom and I have had to really excavate this word "servant".  We're wondering what it really means.  We've had occasion to see the term "serve" and "servant" be used, quite frankly, in vain.  We've seen true servanthood, too...or at least what we had traditionally seen as servanthood.
   Let me tell you...this excavation has been painful.  Pain-full.  Full of pain.  Difficult.  Eye-opening. 
      An analogy is in order.  When you excavate something, you dig down deep to its roots.  When you pull out weeds from your garden, you really need to dig down to the root.  You need to pull out all the tentacles and pathways where the root of the weed has traveled.  If you don't, it'll just grow back.  It might grow back even if you pull out all the roots.  It's just the way it is.
    We've heard this root analogy used when discussing the concept of sin..bitterness...anger..resentment.  When one goes into therapy, or when one prays to God over a matter, one needs to dig deep and get to the heart of the matter.  Usually getting to the heart of the matter is a painful process.  But it almost always involves confession, forgiveness, and a letting go (a pulling-up) of the issue.  Giving it back over to God.
      So to transfer this metaphor, or analogy, over to the concept of servanthood, I've needed to dig deep.  The Lord has assisted me in this process.   I haven't been too grateful for His help.  "Gee, did You really need to be so obvious about it, Lord?"  The pulling-up of the root of servanthood has been painful, because I've seen people say they want to serve but it comes with a caveat.  It comes with a price.  Is that servanthood?  
    "I want to serve"  but "it has to be done my way."  
    "It's my way or the highway".
    "I refuse to do it your way."
     "Let me serve" but with a spirit of grumpiness.
    "I want to help" but they never show up.
    "Anything, I'll do anything"  .....except that. 

These thoughts from the Bible come to mind.
  Our Lord was The Suffering Servant...Isaiah 53. 
  "Greater love hath no man than this...than to lay down his life for his brother."
 Christ came to seek and save the lost.
  We love because He first loved us.

Lord, would You continue to help me to understand what it means to be a servant?  This is a prayer request that You would help me to understand what it truly means to serve.  Why does it end up looking so ugly?  Why does serving others come with a price tag?   Is that how You wanted it?  When I sign my prayers off in this way, "Love, your servant, Lisa".....why do I do that when I'm no better at being a servant than those I criticize?   Diving deep into the waters of servanthood, I find rough waters ahead.  Lord, smooth it out for me so that I can see what you meant by the term.