Proud to be a Domestique

Every year since 1903, with the exception of a few years during World War II, the world’s fastest bicycle riders have gathered in France for a race that defies the limits of the ordinary human body, and scoffs at the idea that everything should be done in moderation. Sometime at the beginning of July The Tour de France begins somewhere in France – or close to it anyway, and sometime three weeks later it ends – always in a little town called Paris. In between cyclists cover more than 2000 miles of terrain that is at the very least intimidating, and at most terrifying. The cyclists who choose to take on the challenge, rather than spend their summer in a more orthodox location - like a sunny beach, or by the side of a swimming pool, ride up windy mountains only a few feet away from jagged cliffs, and then travel down them at speeds close to 50mph, often in the rain. All they have to protect them if they fall is a helmet. The race is comprised of 20 stages, with the average stage consisting of close to 113 miles. During their three week long adventure the riders get a meager two days of rest. Many of them choose to use these days to do what you would expect them to. Go for a bike ride! Apparently this keeps their body from going into recovery mode. Why would their body be trying to do that?

The past few years I have followed the Tour de France more closely than I usually do, partly because of Lance Armstrong, and partly because I am always intrigued by sports that require incredible stamina and mental strength. This past summer I happened to be listening to some people on the radio that were discussing the Tour, when something they said caught my ear. The subject of their conversation was a specific cycling term that is applied to those riders who ride in support of the person on their team who is favored to win a particular stage of the race. The term, a French one, although you probably could have guessed as much, is domestique. The word domestique means “servant” in French, but when used in the context of cycling, it refers to the rider who is doing all of the work so that his teammate has a better chance of winning. This may mean allowing his teammate to draft behind him until the final few miles of the race. It could also mean trying to hold a rider from another team off as they try to get ahead in the race. It is the job of the domestique to help his friend – who is considered the strongest cyclist on the team – win the stage. Simply put, the domestique must give up his own ambition for victory so that his comrade has a better chance of winning. Sound simple?

Let’s say you are one of the top ten bakers in the world when it comes to making apple pies. You decide to participate in an apple pie making competition that will pit you against many of the other top apple pie bakers in the world. The only problem is that your neighbor, who is sponsored by the same apple orchard as you, asks if you will be on her team and help her win the competition. Unfortunately she is ranked higher than you in the world apple pie making standings so it is your responsibility to help her rather than try to win yourself – that is what you are told by your sponsor (the orchard). Even though you know that you have a great chance of winning the competition yourself, since on any given day your best apple pie is as tasty as any other apple pie in the world, you must relinquish your own desire for victory and turn your energies toward assisting your neighbor. Sound disappointing?

Not surprisingly this role has evoked much controversy in past Tours as many a cyclist (ones with burgeoning ability, and some that see their final opportunity at victory slipping away) who have been called upon to take up the role of domestique have balked at such a suggestion. One can almost hear their response. “Who me? I should be the one winning this thing. I’m not going to ride over 2000 miles just so someone else can get all the glory. Besides, I look better in yellow.” The yellow jersey is a special jersey worn throughout the race by whoever is in the lead.

In Matthew 20:28 Jesus says, “The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus understood that it is not about being in the limelight or about getting the recognition that we often feel we deserve. Jesus embodied what it means to be a domestique – a servant, one who cares about the needs of another more than they care about their own needs. Jesus could have had the disciples wash His feet, Jesus could have had his disciples heal the sick that came to him so that He could have more time to himself, Jesus could have ignored the tax collectors and the harlots rather than taking the time to meet with them and minister to their needs. All of these things He did because He knew the importance of denying his human desires so that His Father’s heavenly ones could be met – which we can assume was not easy since He was completely human and susceptible to temptation. And the most amazing thing to me is that He did it with the right attitude, never bitter because he should have been the one having his own feet cleaned or because there really was not any reason why He should not have had other people doing the grunt work for him (I would consider meeting with the tax collector grunt work).

Philippians 2:3-4 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” If Jesus ever did compete in the Tour de France I imagine that He would not be the one wearing the yellow jersey, but the one who was instead constantly working to see that someone else achieved their goal of winning the race. And if Jesus were in an apple pie baking competition, I imagine he would be the one picking the apples, and probably making sure his neighbor did not have to stick around to clean up afterward.

The same should be true for us. It should not be our goal to take center-stage and convince other people that there is something inherently special about us. Besides, what others think about us is not what makes us special anyway; we seek only validation from God. Our goal should be to find a way to take on the role of domestique, just as Jesus took it upon himself to be a domestique before God, and before all men.

A wise man once said, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” The only way anyone is going to know how much you care is if you can convince others that you are committed to being their servant. Sometimes that might mean letting them get behind you and rest while you do the hard work for them, and sometimes that might mean letting their abilities shine at the expense of the talents God has given you. Whatever it might be, just remember that the only person who ever could have legitimately claimed the yellow jersey, instead decided to be the domestique for us, the very least we can do is return the favor.