Serving isn’t the obstacle - it’s the way!
The needs we see around us can be overwhelming at times. There are times when we feel optimistic and times when discouragement knocks on our door and we must decide whether to invite it in. I don’t believe any of us are impermeable to change, challenges, pain, hardships, and discomfort. That’s just a part of life. But I often find that it is when I am serving, that I see not just what is happening around me, but what is happening inside me. I see my need to change, my need to love, my need to humble myself and do what Jesus did - wash feet, sit with the outcasts, have conversations with people from all walks of life, feed the hungry, meet the needs. I don’t think there was one second that Jesus forgot about His assignment or His purpose. I think He had a keen awareness that He came to serve. It was so apart of Him that many religious people could not believe that He could be the Son of God. Afterall, in most of our minds, a King doesn’t lower Himself to serve others. A King is the one that is served?
(I must stop myself here because I just got a revelation about serving).
We don’t lower ourselves to serve. That would imply that we are above or higher than others (and the last time I checked, none of us are levitating above the earth, looking down on the lowly). We lose our egos to serve. We let go of a mindset that we are better, and we take a hold of the reality that when our lives intersect with others, they are teaching us something and we are teaching them something.
I remember when I was going through my divorce and had almost no money with three children in tow, my church family, without saying a word, without public announcement, circled around me and made sure that me and my girls had what we needed. They cared for us so well that we didn’t lose hope as we walked through a difficult season. For someone like me who grew up poor, the return to poverty after all I had accomplished was devastating on so many levels, especially to my ego. It was in that moment of need, that I learned how to receive and it was in that moment of need, others learned how to give. And what we learned impacted our lives forever. The friendships I cultivated during my divorce have made a lasting impression on my life. There are people in my life today because I went through a divorce, people I would have never gravitated to otherwise and we connected on a level I never expected. A level that was not them lowering themselves to serve me or me lowering myself to receive; rather it was a letting go of ego, to serve and be served. It was a moment where heaven and earth collided, where something unexpected took place. Hmm…A King who came to serve. Not what I expected but exactly what I needed.
Nugget of Truth:
Look around and you will see opportunities to serve everywhere. Instead of criticizing or complaining that things aren’t getting done, roll up your sleeves and do the work. If you are looking down on someone, you may need to let go of your ego and ask yourself, “What can I do to serve?” “What will my service teach them?" "What will serving teach me”. Serving isn’t the obstacle - it’s the way!
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