Living Daily What Matters Most Day 4

doing what God designed us to do under His direction in every season of our life gives our lives balance, margin and vitality.

day 4 in a 7 day series...

SERVING
"A non serving Christian is a contradiction in terms"

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's Masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

Matthew 20:28 For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others and to give my life as a ransom for others.


The word 'serve' causes me to wrinkle my nose. I like 'help' better than 'serve'. As in "let me help you" or 'may I help you". Not "may I serve you" Help sounds like something I am willing to do. Serve sounds like something.... well.....servant-y! White apron over black dress, shuffling in the background, spoken to but not speaking.... It has a sense of humbleness that I most often wrestle with.  But yet, I like to help and on my spiritual gifts score sheet gifts of helps/service is in my top three.

Understanding that God created me on purpose, for a purpose, as Rick Warren so cleverly puts it, gives me a sense of peace to a certain degree. It's trying to figure out what the purpose is that threatens to derail my peace-train and makes me frustrated. Knowing that God sees me as His Masterpiece makes me smile with delight. Because when I look in the mirror, most days, I see a jigsaw puzzle/paint by number/fuzzy velvet poster being assembled, not a Rembrandt or Van Gogh.

So, it is was a relief to learn about my spiritual giftings, wiring, talents etc and know that I was created for helping. But what about those who score really low on the serving spiritual scoreboard? Are they exempt? And what about the days when my joints hurt or my mood is low-- do I have to serve then too?

I think what God has been showing me is that there are many many ways to provide acts of service. Certainly working in a helper role such as capable administrative assistant or confident stay at home wife and mother-- is the one that comes to my mind most often. But really, every thing we do, every natural ability, talent or gift, has the potential of being of service to someone else.

We share our gifts of writing as we blog, we paint a picture that will grace someone's wall with light and beauty. We offer a ride to our neighbor who can't drive anymore. We bake cookies for a shut-in We send an email with a cheery uplifting note to a friend who's been ill. We offer a reduced cost or free haircut to someone struggling financially.... You get the picture.

But everything we do- big or small- has potential of Serving. Sometimes we serve in roles in which we get paid for these actions. Every thing we do has the potential of being seen as an act of service. Perhaps the secret then, is to really get that. Knowing that my actions big or small has the stamp of service on it, makes me heart swell just a little bigger with pride. Not boastful pride-- although that is also my downfall-- but the pride that comes from knowing I did the job and I did it well.

Funny how "serving" sounds very humbling yet at the same time provides pride.

I guess it is all a matter of the attitude. God created me to serve in a capacity he gifted me for. He did the same for you. A friend of ours moved away for a time to a remote village in Montana where he could go for days without speaking to another living soul. He loved the hermit experience but he realized that having learned how God wired him, to willingly stay reclusive was a direct contradiction to the life Christ had given him when He willingly gave up His life for us. Our friend realized that he was hiding his light under a bushel, so to speak, and he needed to get back in the game. He had acts of service to share with the world and to not do so would not be right. He got back in the game.

There are days I want to hoard my giftings; stay home, be a recluse, shut down and turn off the rest of the world. That's OK, I'm learning, because God wants me to have down time so I can refresh and refuel. But understanding, knowing and acting upon the knowledge that He did create me as a Masterpiece, to do Good Works that He planned for me to do, well,..... that completes me. Because when I operate in selfish-mode, I serve no one. Not even, really, myself.
 

From The Purpose Driven Life: "How much of the time are you being useful in the service of God? In some churches in China, they welcome new believers by saying "Jesus now has a new pair of eyes to see with, new ears to listen with, new hands to help with, and a new heart to love others with."


"A Non-serving Christian is a contradiction in terms."  ~ Rick Warren.