There are always the usual ways that we can serve one another... hold a door, say a prayer, make a meal or any one of a thousand other ways that we talk about in our culture of 'church'.
I have been thinking, though, that there must be more to this. There must be a deeper ideal if service is to become a lifestyle. It is too easy to get over-committed with 'service opportunities' yet feel like nothing more than a worker bee. So many times, there is no sense of purpose to yet another early morning at church or a last walk-through to check and make sure all the lights are off before locking up. I have, in the past, found myself overtired and perhaps a little resentful at the end of a long season of 'service'.
Someone has to do these things and I have no problem taking my turn, except, is it really service if I am grumbling about it, or if I have to constantly remind myself that serving is the 'holy thing'? What if there is something that I am missing?I am definitely a willing servant, but when service comes out of a mental assent that it is the 'right' or 'good' thing to do.
It occurs to me that servant hood must be a lifestyle. Not in terms of quantity of time serving, but rather in terms of motivation. It is the difference between someone who plays the occasional sport and someone who has sports as a lifestyle-it permeates everything they do. When service gets into your heart and becomes a lifestyle, you don't need to look for opportunities, and you don't need to rest from it. People for whom servant hood is a lifestyle don't have to think about serving, it just is part of their fabric.
Does Servant hood come naturally to you? Or have you had to develop it over time?
Next Time-Practising to serve.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
To me, serving comes out of a passion or love for something. I think your right, it has to become a lifestyle. And if we are trying to live life in the best possible way, the way of Jesus, then we must remember, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45.
He is passionate about His creation and we need Him to teach us this, too.
The entry blew me away.
How many times have I felt like this? How many times have I pointed the finger at me?
Then to go back an realize it's not about me.. it's about them!!!
Servanthood use to be something I did because it was expected or there was no one else to do it. Occasionally I did it because I really wanted to. I reached a point where I started to resent the people I was serving, because I felt they were taking advantage of me then, I went through another period where I thought I was too good to serve them. Well God started pointing me to scriptures which talked about Jesus coming to serve not to be served and after a while this sunk into my head and, serving was no longer a chore but it became a mindset. So I think when we are called to serve others and we just don't have the energy or really don't feel like it, we should ask ourselves one question "What would Jesus do?"
Even athletes get tired and need a rest. I'm sure there comes a point in an athletes life, one who is ubercommitted, when they say "why do I do this again?" But then, when God gives them their second wind, they remember why and the joy returns ten-fold. Even a lifestyle can get a bit routine so we need to shake things up but look at all the shaking going on at Lifecentre! Whoa! Admittedly though, where is the rest of the body - no wonder we sometimes feel like the tailend.
This was so good Laura... Service is my life... I mean literally... If I don't serve I feel like I am dying... But because of this I take very intentional times to rest...
Hmmm - interesting question Laura. I think it's part of who I am, but I'm not certain it was always that way. I do find that I am getting more particular about how and where I serve - I was getting too wiped out before and feeling like there was never time for me. Now, I believe I am achieving a better balance between serving and resting.
Post a Comment