Service
Happy Belated Memorial Day! I pray we all were able to relax and enjoy time with family and friends, remembering the ultimate sacrifice that so many have paid for our country. I thank those who currently serve. Without our troops our country would not be what it is today.
I was thinking this week about service. In what ways do you serve others? As a wife, physician, and mother of three, there are a lot of ways I find myself serving throughout the week. Most women can relate with one or all of these and while serving is good, we need to be aware of our heart behind it. I am the first to admit that I am not always serving with a joyful heart. Rather than looking at serving our children, husbands, colleagues, or friends as an opportunity to reflect Christ, I often think who’s serving me? Especially, if the hearts of those I serve are not appreciative. Jesus’s life fully reflected that of servant heart, full of love towards others and joyful to serve. If we look in the book of Luke, we see multiple examples of Jesus healing the sick, serving the poor, and raising the dead. In this book he was constantly on mission to share the news of the gospel.
I know that when I find my heart in a negative space and my spirit is cranky and weary, it is then that I need to stop. Not only do we notice Jesus serving, but when he is not serving, he is often alone spending time with the Father. I think in today’s world I commonly feel pushed and pulled in every facet of my life to do more, be more, and serve more. I feel that if I’m not doing or giving to others, then I must be doing something wrong. Completely forgetting that Jesus himself took time to be alone.
Did you know they have studied the average work week and those that worked longer hours with less breaks actually accomplished less than those who worked for a shorter amount of time and had fewer vacation days. Friends, we need to remember that while we should serve, we also should rest and refuel. If we aren’t spending enough time with the Lord to fill our cups, it is very hard to poor out to others. This can look different for everyone but often just as we plan to serve, we need to plan for rest.
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your son to model for us how to serve and how to rest. I pray that you go with us this summer and help us to enjoy each moment you give to us. I pray that we do not waste time, but that we see how precious our time here is. We love you. It’s in your name we pray, Amen.