Praying Singles
Making a Difference through Prayer, Ministry and Service
Serving Others
Serve others? What can I do? How can I help?
Sometimes, we can get so overwhelmed with the thought of serving others and the 'big' things we could do that we never find anything to do.
Have you ever had one of 'those' days? That 'Monday' that doesn't seem to go away. What you wouldn't have given for someone to just do __________.
Fill in that blank and you have just found a way of serving others. Maybe it was 'someone to watch the kids for a couple hours so I can get caught up', 'someone who will just listen and let me get all this out', 'someone to tell me it will be ok', 'someone to mow the yard'.
John 13:5 - He (Jesus) poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to dry them with the towel he had wrapped around himself.
Reading this passage in the past, I had overlooked part of it. Note that not only did Jesus wash the disciples' feet, but he also dried them. Jesus took the extra effort to do things completely.
Matthew 7:12 - In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law of the prophets.
I was attending a Special Olympics track and field event with a service club in which I am a member. Our 'job' was to award the winners their medals and let them know how great of a job they had done.
You hear the stories, but always wonder if they are true. They ARE. In the 2004 events, I witnessed the spirit of the above verse lived out for no other reason but because it was the way it should be.
It was the 100 yard dash in wheelchairs - At the shot of the gun, they were off. Some look as if they had perfected the movements so well, they looked like motorized chairs, two, however, had not. They struggled to roll themselves to the finish line. As the second to the last person was about to finish, he stopped, looked back and started yelling for his friend to 'come on, you can do it'. The other racers joined in and as the last place person caught up, the friends crossed the finish line together.
It wasn't enough to let him get close, they finished together. What an example!
How to Serve
Serving others is more than just helping. When you mow your grass, do you pick up all the sticks and rocks, mow, edge and then pick up the loose grass? If so, you should do no less when mowing for someone else. You don't care about the loose grass - go the extra yard and pick it up even if you wouldn't mind it being there.
What other ways can you go a 'little farther' when helping others? The possibilities are endless.
If you take food to someone who is sick or has lost a family member, consider a disposable container or pan so they do not feel obligated to wash your dishes and return them.