Do you have people in your life that inspire you? Have you ever wanted to imitate someone else’s behaviour because you found it appealing?
The other week I was at a friend’s house helping her cook for a community function that our church was organising. The amount of food she had to cook was enormous. I watched her as she tirelessly moved between stirring the paella, screwing packing crates together and making a rustic servery for all the food. All this occurred while keeping a watchful eye on her three little children.
Serving is an inevitable part of life, especially as a parent, but have you ever considered the way in which you serve?
When God talks about serving in the bible He talks about both the practical perspective and the attitude of our heart as we do it, 1 Chronicles 28:9.
I have to admit that there have been times where I have physically served but my heart has not been in the right place. I have felt ‘put upon’, frustrated and burdened by serving.
As I spent time with my inspirational friend she taught me two essential things about serving in a way that honors people, not only practically but in our hearts as well.
Attitude The way in which we approach things means more to God than the act itself. Romans 12:11 encourages us to serve enthusiastically. My friend had the most beautiful attitude. Her heart was to bless the receivers and she went above and beyond to make sure that happened. She wasn’t resentful that she was carrying the lion’s share; she was just enjoying the opportunity to serve. She served with a joyful heart and spoke no words of complaint. Her attitude challenged me to think about my attitude. Am I serving as though I am serving the Lord, as Colossians 3:23 and Philippians 6:7 encourage me? Not only did she have a wonderful attitude: there was one other thing I noticed that made a huge impact.
Atmosphere There was an atmosphere of peace surrounding her as she served. Although there was a huge amount to get done she moved effortlessly from one task to the next. Even when I burnt part of the paella to the pan she calmly fixed the problem without a harsh word.
Sometimes when I’m serving I can get flustered and short-tempered and overwhelmed. Yes, I get the job done but I have not fostered a nice environment during the journey.
After experiencing the way my friend serves I have changed the way I define serving in my life. I have decided that serving is something I GET to do not something I HAVE to do. I have found that that this simple distinction has helped me to change the attitude and atmosphere when I serve.
When we choose to see serving as something we ‘get’ to do rather than something we ‘have’ to do we are able to see serving for the privilege it is.
When serving is something we ‘get’ to do rather than ‘have’ to do we see serving for the privilege it is.
Lord,
Thank You for the opportunity of being able to serve one another. Please help me to be able to do this with an attitude and atmosphere that honors You.
Amen
