2 minute read
To Be of Service or Not
Photo By Matt Collomer
Listen Up
BY CHERIE BUCKNER-WEBB
When I was a youngster, it was deeply ingrained that females were expected to be “in service to others.” We were told that helping others would offer a sense of fulfillment, purpose, responsibility, and connection to our elders and community. It was deemed our duty; an opportunity to contribute to society and experience a broader world view. Men served in the armed forces. Therefore, it was a given that womenfolk were expected to give back in most every other aspect of life.
Thank heavens we’ve moved beyond the former stereotypical, culturally engendered expectations about who should be in service to whom. The phrase “in service to others” encompasses far more than traditional male roles in the military, fraternal organizations, and coaching sports teams. Women may still dominate school bake sales while contributing talent and time for global good.
The parable of the Good Samaritan, found in the Gospel of Luke, speaks powerfully to being of service. It tells of a traveler who is stripped of clothing, beaten, and left for dead along the road. A Samaritan happens upon the traveler. Though Samaritans and Jews despised each other, the Samaritan helps the injured man, who is a Jew. The Samaritan stopped to be of service to another in need. Helping anyone without expectation of reciprocity, thanks, or repayment is to be of service.
You hear what I’m sayin’? We are all called to be in service of humanity. Some respond.
What inspires women and men to augment the rigors of personal, professional, and religious lives to be in service to others and make meaningful contributions? What is the value proposition? I asked a few of the “givers” in my community.
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
Phillip Thompson: “Service was modeled as an expectation: necessary to precipitate change or to preserve what must be continued.”
Joleen Schow: “Service is a habit. I grew up in a small community; if you didn’t serve, nothing got done. Service enabled connection and the satisfaction of contributing to the larger community. Later in my career, working for a company that supported volunteerism and service was motivating.”
Don Murray: “My parents taught me early on that volunteer work is among the most gratifying ways you can allocate your time.”
Luminaries across the world speak to the importance of service.
Dorothy Height, American Activist: “Without service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It’s important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It’s the way in which we ourselves grow and develop.”
Albert Einstein, Theoretical Physicist: “Only a life lived in service to others is worth living.”
Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children’s Defense Fund: “Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time.”
Maya Angelou, Author: “I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”
Today, communities are experiencing hardships never imagined. Folks are in dire need of connection and support. And so, I invite you to join in the service to others. Take a risk. The rewards are bountiful.
