How to be great in the kingdom

Matthew 20:17-20+

Jesus is telling them how he will attain his throne. Matthew has as main themes Jesus, Son of David, the King of the Jews. But it is a new type of kingdom. Jesus will be raised up (v. 19). He will be raised up to his throne in heaven. The next continues that thread. The sons of Zebedee come to ask Jesus to be placed on his right and left in his kingdom. I picture three thrones, don't you? Verse 20 states they come bowing down. I get a picture of an eastern potentate and subject salaaming or crawling on their hands and knees to show respect. They are treating Jesus like a local ruler. They are coming to beg a favor just like they might seek an audience with a man with power. The mother uses the word "command" in verse 21. A ruler commands. Jesus does not object.
But then Jesus turns the whole kingdom ruler on its head. His kingdom is a new kind. It is a kind never seem before. "Great ones" will be servants.
Personally: Am I willing to give up the idea of getting power and glory to be a servant? Servants get stepped on, abused, ignored, taken for granted. If I give myself over to servanthood, will people take advantage of me and desperately use me? In the old kingdom this will certainly happen and more. How new a kingdom model do we see in the church? The idea of the kingdom partially here applies to the church I think. Sometimes servanthood gets respected and sometimes not. But God sees it all and will reward in time. If not in this world, then in the next.
Am I OK with waiting? Am I OK with a heavenly reward that I may never see on the earth?
Do you identify with any of this? As I write this out I see it as perhaps unique to me.
DW had an old lady morning Monday then she went off to serve at a funeral. This was the funeral of a black lady. Everyone there was black except the people from M&M who came to bring food. The people there thought DW and friends would simply drop off the food but they stayed and served. Knowing DW she did it cheerfully. This is a SHAPE type talent that she has in abundance. They were amazed. Often black people are amazed at white people when they serve them. They have never seen it before. Both DW and I have been in this position before. It seems to be a natural ministry we just have fallen into. I do not mean this to sound braggy or anything. When people express amazement and wonder it is often when we least expect it. It seems just like the normal thing to do. It does bring to the fore the lack of humility whites still seem to have before blacks. But you probably cannot manufacture this. If by doing this yesterday M&M helps to heal some of the division between blacks and whites then Praise the Lord. It's not exactly glory or reward except there is blessing in knowing an appreciation, I guess.