One of the greatest joys of this life is serving other people. It is amazing how we end up focusing on our own lives and serving ourselves most of the time. Our bodies and our minds tell us that we should take care of ourselves and not be concerned about the lives of others. Yet, the people who enjoy an enriched life is through their service to other people.
Whether it is a mom taking care of her child, an employee doing what their bosses ask, or a doctor taking care of a sick child. All of these are examples of how human beings can get delight out of serving other human beings.
Paul, the Apostle, explained it this way when he said, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
(Philippians 2:4)
The interests of others can include their physical needs or their emotional needs. If one person needs a hug or another person needs help with a construction project. Either way, we need to understand each other and learn how to serve others.
We will do our best to serve others if we do it under the direction of God. Tha may seem impossible, but in fact, God wants human beings to serve othe human beings and deep down inside we know serving others will be more gratifying than if we do something for ourselves.
Don’t limit your idea of volunteering to something like working at the local food bank. You should see that you can volunteer in your heart by serving your family, helping a neighbor, encouraging a struggling mom or dad at church on Sunday, and serving those that are difficult for you to serve. These are ways we can look not just on our own things, but on the things of others.
It is a terrific blessing to intend to do one thing, but have the opportunity to help or serve others in ways you didn’t expect and, sometimes, it means we ’ re on the sidelines. While I’m watching a ball game of one of my grandchildren, I end up helping and playing with some of my other grandchildren who are on the sidelines. I came to watch the game, but I end up spending time serving other little kids so their mother can watch the game.
I never signed up for that or made a list or commitment to anything like that, but I did get to volunteer as the Bible says to volunteer in a very specific way. Let it be our goal to represent Christ in every action, especially in the way we treat other people.
