When you look at life and what we all do for a living, there is something we all have in common. As a nurse I provide care and comfort to my patients, a teacher pours knowledge into their students, a store clerk provides their customers with assistance, and a comedian is able to make people laugh. You see, it doesn’t matter what role we play, we are all to serve others!Let’s take it a step further. Forget about our work roles, what about our roles as humans? A parent takes care of and provides love for their children, a pet owner provides shelter and food for their pet, a gentleman gives up his seat for an elderly woman, and a woman buys her coworker lunch and a coffee because when they were having a bad day and never took their break.
Serving is something we do we do all the time without thinking about it. Maybe we should start thinking about it. Maybe thinking about it will help us be more intentional about serving. Since we are thinking about it right now, let’s go even deeper! Jesus is our king, and even though He is royalty, He lived His life as a servant! In the book of John, Jesus washes His disciples’ feet (John 13:14-15). Here Jesus provides us with an example to follow in life! He, a king, our Lord, a righteous man is found serving His disciples by washing their feet (which were most likely dirty and stinky from all of their travels)! What can we learn from this? Well, for one, we aren’t better than Jesus, so If He is serving and getting down and dirty then we should too. Also, washing their feet signified something more. Jesus wants our character to be one of a servant throughout our life, even through sacrifices. We are to be more like Him, and no matter what role or status we hold, serve others, in turn, serving God!
Serve in everything you do or anywhere you are at. You never really know who you can be impacting and in what way. Years ago, I worked with a woman who had difficulty when It came to reading and writing in English. She would always come to me to help her fill out a money order she needed to send to her family in her country because it was difficult for her to fill out in English. I was just being kind and didn’t mind helping. Years later, this woman saw my sister and asked her if we were related because she noticed the resemblance. My sister told her that we were indeed sisters. The woman proceeded to tell my sister that I was one of the few people that were kind to her at this job and would always help her when she asked. This really got me thinking! I never realized how much my kind gesture had affected her life or that it meant so much to her. You never really know how your actions or “service” can affect someone and in what way.
I encourage you to really start thinking about how you are serving! Get down and dirty and wash some stinky feet, even if it’s an inconvenience or sacrifice just as Christ did. Make Jesus your why! Tell yourself, I am going to do this lovingly, full of gentleness and kindness because Jesus did! Remind yourself that Jesus’ biggest service was also His biggest sacrifice! It was His life that he gave up willingly for us. He led by example, follow his lead!
