100 words

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all."  Mark 9:35 (NIV)

Helping professionals, including case managers, must possess certain characteristics. On p. 12-13 of your textbook, the authors list numerous functions of case management. All these functions relate to the needs of the client, not the case manager.

Case managers wear many hats. A main duty is to place the best interest of the client above everything else. Clients may or may not be cooperative. Sometimes, clients are court-mandated and may not feel that they need assistance from case management services. Case managers often work for relatively low pay; yet; they have high stress positions where they work many hours or may be on-call.

Mark 9:35 is a short, yet powerful, scripture as it outlines the primary role of servant leadership: putting yourself first even when it’s not convenient. Think about what true servant leadership looks like & how Jesus was our greatest role model.

This link provides additional insight into what it means to be a servant leader:

• Bloom, J. (2017, March 28). Five marks of a servant leader. Retrieved from https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/five-marks-of-a-servant-leader

If the King of Kings & Lord of Lords can give the ultimate sacrifice by dying on the cross for the sins of humanity, how should helping professionals be convicted to exhibit Christ-like behaviors? What might servant leadership look like in the helping professions?

The Holy Spirit develops the Fruits of the Spirit in us and can keep us focused on what is most important and help us serve with Christian love. Christ-like service is important to the case manager’s role.

• Read Galatians 5:22-23 before responding to this week’s devotion.
• Reflect upon the Fruits of the Spirit and determine which ones have been developed by the Holy Spirit within you as well as the fruits that may need to be further developed by the Holy Spirit for your human services career path. Feel free to share which traits of a servant leader that you already possess.
• Do you feel ready for a career in human services?