How do you feel when you hear the word “service”? Does it fire you up or make you feel a little guilty? Maybe it’s a little of both. 

I imagine most of us have a nagging feeling inside that we should be doing more to serve others. We know the stakes are high. Jesus came right out and told us, “Anything you did for one of the least important of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40, NIrV) Not only that, little eyes are watching. They see when we give up something that benefits us in order to benefit someone else. I think all of us would say that we want to pass along the value of serving to our own kids. We want them to “get it.”  

So why is it hard for us to serve? I don’t think it’s because we don’t care. I don’t think it’s because we’re selfish—at least on purpose. I think it happens because life happens. But as followers of Jesus, we have no choice. We can’t throw up our hands and abandon our responsibility for the needs of others. We can’t do everything . . . but we can do something. Our kids don’t need to watch us rail against what’s wrong; they need to see us actively fight to make the world a better place. 

As for our family, we’ve discovered the joy of serving together. This allows us to work with others to encourage and serve people in a time of great need. It also lights us up inside. As I see my loved ones serving in practical, yet profound ways, it occurs to me that each of us is serving in a way that mirrors the unique way were made. That doesn’t mean serving is always easy. It still requires sacrifice. But if you can find a way to serve that comes naturally to you, you’ll be really good at it, and you’ll want to do it more and more. So, instead of letting objections keep us from acting in the first place . . . instead of second-guessing the good we’ve been able to do . . . we can cheer each other on as we dream of what’s to come tomorrow. 

*If you’re looking for an opportunity to serve as an individual or as a family, check out our upcoming Second Saturday projects!  

By Mike Tiemann with Parent Cue; with modifications.