The Truth About Serving

I had the honor and the privilege of working alongside our youth group for Serve Springfield this week. Serve Springfield is a collaboration of 15 local youth groups to go out and serve the city of Springfield. During the days they are doing projects for organizations such as the Victory Mission, Convoy of Hope, Pregnancy Care Center, and Life 360 Fairbanks community center. Then in the late afternoon they go door to door in the neighborhoods around their churches and pray with their neighbors, and they end the day by gathering together for dinner, worship, and a powerful word of truth. It seems like the majority of our society sees teenagers as selfish, lazy, hormone crazed, and out of control. The book, “Do Hard Things” by the Harris twins confirms with research that although this is their stereotype it is far from true. Most teenagers desire to use their strength and talent to do hard things that serve their communities and are part of a higher good. They want the adults around them and the world around them to acknowledge them as the powerful resources they are and Serve Springfield does just that. The 25 youth I had the honor to work beside were not only hard working, but kind and inclusive to every other teen and adult amongst them. I’m so very proud of them. Working with them caused me to start my morning by reflecting on the many truths Jesus gives us about serving.

1) When we serve, we follow Christ’s example.
Jesus spoke the following verses to his disciples to redirect their focus when He overheard them arguing about who amongst them was the greatest: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first, must be servant to all. For even the Son of Man (that would be Jesus) did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45). Jesus calls us to follow his example with our lives not trying to become who’s trending with the most likes or followers, not the most important, or the most famous, but a person who even though maybe obscure is laying their lives down on behalf of others. Jesus, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, is a king like no other who serves and lays His life down on behalf of his beloved kingdom.

2) When we serve, we serve the Lord.
No matter who it is we’re called to serve, God says that the effort we pour out is ultimately done unto Him. He views it as an act of worship, a fragrant offering. So if it’s a baby you serve by waking in the night to feed and change them and you know they’ll never see your service or thank you for it, God sees it and it honors him. If who you are called to serve is a classroom or a camp of kids that have so much drama going on in their own lives that they’ll probably never recognize the hours of preparation and service you do on their behalves, God see it and it blesses him. If you serve your church behind the scenes getting Sunday school materials gathered or hospitality items set out, God sees it and it glorifies him. “Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of” (2 Tim 2:15 MSG). Let serving God be our focus not our recognition. “Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord” (Col 3:23).

3) When we serve, we recognize that it’s God holding it all together.
When we serve with all our heart, we can often love the work we do so much that we want to cling to it and hold on to it. It can feel like it was our hard work, ideas, talent, and intellect that caused the work to flourish and often God sends us a reminder that He’s got it. If we have to let go or step back for a time or season, we don’t have to fear that it will fall apart because God is the one holding it together. Late yesterday afternoon my part of Serve Springfield was called short when I got a terrible migraine. I hate that I get migraines and as soon as I meet anyone who suffers with them I have immediate empathy for them. I know that they also have entire days unexpectantly high jacked from these culprits. Yesterday’s migraine was so bad I kept picturing holes being drilled into my head to release the pressure that made my head feel like it might explode any moment. While it was a bummer for me to have to leave, another mom was quickly called into take my place and the night went on as planned. This week was our youth minister/worship pastor’s last week. He’s been an amazing and talented leader that has blessed our youth and church in countless ways. During his six and half years of service the youth group grew from two to fifty students. God used him in mighty ways and has now called his family to a new service, but I can trust and our church can trust that God built our youth group and God will hold it together through this transition.

4) When we serve, we will be refreshed.
God says that, “the one who blesses others is abundantly blessed, those who help others are helped” (Pr 11:25 MSG). Yesterday when I arrived home I walked into a completely cleaned up house and kitchen, it was not the house I had left early that morning. Going from 8am to 9pm had taken its toll on our family of five’s cleanliness; our kitchen was overflowing with dirty dishes and there were dirty clothes strung here and there. My amazing mother-n-law, who kept our youngest the last 3 days while we did Serve Springfield, had stayed behind and cleaned it all up as we rushed out the house that morning. Serving will cost us time, energy, and money that we could spend other places, but God will always cover our gaps when we are serving and find ways to refresh us.