To lead is to serve
“If you want to be a leader, you must be a servant first.” — Lao Tzu
Within Freemasonry, there is no shortage of titles, offices, and honors. In the Symbolic Lodge alone there are officers ranging from the Stewards to the Master. Beyond that are the degrees of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, the Shrine, and numerous other appendant bodies. Then there are District Deputies, Grand Lodge officers, committee chairmen, and more titles than most of us could ever hope to remember.
But do those titles really mean anything?
Yes and no.
They deserve respect because they represent service. We should honor those who give their time, energy, and effort to the Craft. Yet the title itself is never the important thing. The work behind it is.
In fact, the greatest title you will ever receive in Masonry is not Worshipful Master, Grand Master, Sovereign Grand Inspector General, or any other distinguished office. The highest and most noble title is bestowed upon you the very first day you enter the Temple.
Brother.
Think about that for a moment.
There was a period in my life when I rode with a Masonic motorcycle order. We borrowed a saying from motorcycle club culture that has stayed with me ever since: “If you do not serve the table, you will never lead the table.”
The meaning is simple. You are always proving yourself. You are always earning your place. Nothing is simply handed to you.
In many ways, life works the same way.
Success is not owned—it is rented.
Honor is not owned—it is rented.
Integrity is not owned—it is rented.
Respect is not owned—it is rented.
And the rent is due every single day.
Yesterday's accomplishments do not excuse today's failures. The work must continue.
I count myself fortunate to belong to a Masonic jurisdiction that understands this principle. Several years ago, I attended a presentation honoring a Brother receiving his 50-Year Emblem.
When the meal was served, the sitting Grand Master and the other Grand Lodge officers waited until everyone else had eaten.
Why? Because it was not their day.
They were there to serve those being honored.
That simple act spoke more loudly than any speech could have.
When I served as District Deputy Grand Master, and even later as a Past Master, I was often invited to sit in the East beside the Master during official visits. I understood the respect being offered, and there would have been nothing wrong with accepting it. Yet more often than not, I chose to sit among the Brethren on the level.
Not because I was making a statement.
Not because I was trying to be humble.
It was simply where I felt most comfortable.
After all, every office eventually ends. Every title is eventually passed on. Every collar is placed around another man's neck.
But Brotherhood remains.
So how do we truly serve the Brethren?
The answer begins on the very first day of our Masonic journey. The lessons of the Entered Apprentice Degree point us in that direction. The Square and Compasses. The Point Within the Circle. The teachings concerning our conduct toward God, our neighbor, and ourselves.
Why are these among the first lessons we receive?
Perhaps because they teach us that Masonry is not ultimately about authority. It is about responsibility.
Not about being above others.
But about being useful to others.
I have often said that each of us bears within us a spark of the Divine. If that is true, then every act of kindness, every word of encouragement, every helping hand extended to a Brother is more than simple charity. It becomes an act of service to God Himself.
When we comfort the grieving, support the struggling, teach the inexperienced, or simply listen when someone needs to be heard, we are practicing the highest principles of the Craft.
The goal, then, should never be a title embroidered on a collar or engraved on a nameplate.
We already possess the greatest title we will ever receive.
Brother.
The real question is not what office we hold.
The real question is whether our labor is good and true.
Whether our work benefits those around us.
Whether we leave our Lodge, our community, and our world a little better than we found them.
Because in the end, the finest Mason is not the one who accumulated the most titles.
It is the one who served the most faithfully.
And did so in honor of the Divine.
I love you and may we govern ourselves accordingly
Within Freemasonry, there is no shortage of titles, offices, and honors. In the Symbolic Lodge alone there are officers ranging from the Stewards to the Master. Beyond that are the degrees of the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, the Shrine, and numerous other appendant bodies. Then there are District Deputies, Grand Lodge officers, committee chairmen, and more titles than most of us could ever hope to remember.
But do those titles really mean anything?
Yes and no.
They deserve respect because they represent service. We should honor those who give their time, energy, and effort to the Craft. Yet the title itself is never the important thing. The work behind it is.
In fact, the greatest title you will ever receive in Masonry is not Worshipful Master, Grand Master, Sovereign Grand Inspector General, or any other distinguished office. The highest and most noble title is bestowed upon you the very first day you enter the Temple.
Brother.
Think about that for a moment.
There was a period in my life when I rode with a Masonic motorcycle order. We borrowed a saying from motorcycle club culture that has stayed with me ever since: “If you do not serve the table, you will never lead the table.”
The meaning is simple. You are always proving yourself. You are always earning your place. Nothing is simply handed to you.
In many ways, life works the same way.
Success is not owned—it is rented.
Honor is not owned—it is rented.
Integrity is not owned—it is rented.
Respect is not owned—it is rented.
And the rent is due every single day.
Yesterday's accomplishments do not excuse today's failures. The work must continue.
I count myself fortunate to belong to a Masonic jurisdiction that understands this principle. Several years ago, I attended a presentation honoring a Brother receiving his 50-Year Emblem.
When the meal was served, the sitting Grand Master and the other Grand Lodge officers waited until everyone else had eaten.
Why? Because it was not their day.
They were there to serve those being honored.
That simple act spoke more loudly than any speech could have.
When I served as District Deputy Grand Master, and even later as a Past Master, I was often invited to sit in the East beside the Master during official visits. I understood the respect being offered, and there would have been nothing wrong with accepting it. Yet more often than not, I chose to sit among the Brethren on the level.
Not because I was making a statement.
Not because I was trying to be humble.
It was simply where I felt most comfortable.
After all, every office eventually ends. Every title is eventually passed on. Every collar is placed around another man's neck.
But Brotherhood remains.
So how do we truly serve the Brethren?
The answer begins on the very first day of our Masonic journey. The lessons of the Entered Apprentice Degree point us in that direction. The Square and Compasses. The Point Within the Circle. The teachings concerning our conduct toward God, our neighbor, and ourselves.
Why are these among the first lessons we receive?
Perhaps because they teach us that Masonry is not ultimately about authority. It is about responsibility.
Not about being above others.
But about being useful to others.
I have often said that each of us bears within us a spark of the Divine. If that is true, then every act of kindness, every word of encouragement, every helping hand extended to a Brother is more than simple charity. It becomes an act of service to God Himself.
When we comfort the grieving, support the struggling, teach the inexperienced, or simply listen when someone needs to be heard, we are practicing the highest principles of the Craft.
The goal, then, should never be a title embroidered on a collar or engraved on a nameplate.
We already possess the greatest title we will ever receive.
Brother.
The real question is not what office we hold.
The real question is whether our labor is good and true.
Whether our work benefits those around us.
Whether we leave our Lodge, our community, and our world a little better than we found them.
Because in the end, the finest Mason is not the one who accumulated the most titles.
It is the one who served the most faithfully.
And did so in honor of the Divine.
I love you and may we govern ourselves accordingly
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