"To serve God is to serve people.
To serve people is to serve purpose."
These words from Beth Moore in her Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman study caused me to pause and ponder. Immediately, these faces flashed through my mind:
And I had to ask myself, "How well am I serving them?"
Serve has several different meanings. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary says to serve is “to work for; to bestow the labor of body and mind in the employment of another.” This I do, at least in part. I’m constantly working to clean, cook, and care for my three. However, while my body may be engaged my mind is often far removed. I’m guilty of only half-listening as my rascals rattle on, only to get caught when they ask me a question . . . and I don’t know how to answer. I’m serving in body, not in mind.
There were two other definitions that really hit home. “To act as the minister of; to perform official duties to; as, a minister serves his prince.” Hmmmm. I started to consider my King, and just how he might wish for me to act as an officer to the ones with which I’ve been entrusted. And this verse from 2 Corinthians 5:20 came to mind,
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,
as though God were making his appeal through us.”
Am I serving my family in such a way that God is appealing to them? Do they truly recognize Him as He is? Or is my service a hindrance to them?
And here’s why I know I need to work on how I serve. The word serve also means “to wait on.” Waiting is not my natural gift; I’m not a patient person. Yet, I’m always waiting on someone
To finish her meal
To finish his seatwork
To clean up his mess
To complete his chores
To find her lambie
To decide which snack she wants
To get his shoes on . . .
It’s an endless list. And why am I impatient with the waiting?
Because this girl right here. Me:
I have things I want to do:
Read a book
Clean the house
Talk to a friend
Check my email
Get in a workout
Read a blog
Take some pictures
Take a shower (a nice long, hot one) . . .
The list is endless. The time is not. A servant must choose who she’s going to serve first. The greatest gets the priority, and in God's kingdom, the least is the greatest.
Today, I'm going to follow someone else's example. It is the greatest we have.
"The Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28
3 comments:
I find myself hurrying my kiddos along throughout the day so I can get things done so I can do what I want to do. Thank you for the reminder that God has called us to be servants...mind, body, heart, and soul.
I'm going to pull my copy of Streams in the Desert out today. Thanks for your prayers!
Well said!
Waiting can be tough. I don't have kids myself, but when I was a camp counselor for 9 and 10 yr. old girls, it was tough to get them going so we could stay on schedule and wouldn't always be late for the flag ceremony in the morning. I think part of what will make heaven so great is the lack of time! No schedules = no stress.
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