Saturday of Serving
We
all have things in our lives that it’s hard for us to imagine living
without. We have interests and loves
that we need to help us feel satisfied and complete. To feel whole. Things that bring us contentment and joy and
fulfillment. For many of us, serving is
a choice. It's a conscious decision we
make to serve. But for some of us,
serving isn’t something we really think much about doing; we just do it. It’s one of those things in our lives that we
can’t imagine living without. It isn’t a
choice for us; it’s a need. It's
essential, and without it, a part of us seems to be missing. We feel incomplete, unsatisfied, restless, and
discontent unless we serve. And I’m
beginning to realize that I’m one of those people.
With
that said, when my pastor announced to our congregation that last Saturday the
church was going to be holding a Family Fun Day outreach for the community as
they closed their week of VBS, there was no hesitation in my heart as to
whether I should commit to being one of the needed volunteers. My heart is for serving, especially in
ministry and particularly in missions work like outreaches. So when my parents signed up and I knew I’d
have a ride, I eagerly signed my name up too.
I
anticipated that day for the entire week. On Saturday morning, I woke up excited, ready
to serve, and praying that the Lord would use me and use the event for His
glory and to further His kingdom, to plant seeds in the hearts of those we
would minister to that day. That we
would be able to show His love to others.
When
we arrived at our church, I was almost promptly put to work. I was in the right place at the right time. Later I was stationed at supervising a game
along with two women- one that attended our church and one that was still a
visitor. They were wonderful companions
throughout the day and I so enjoyed getting to know them both. My heart was in complete contentment as I
poured out my energy that day, and I felt so fulfilled and whole. I was all smiles, I experienced such joy in participating
as a volunteer to make the event a success.
The seemingly quiet and usually reserved girl stepped out and revealed
her friendly and people-person side that no one normally sees. I was in my niche. Serving is where I belong.
Just
as serving is a blessing to those being served though, it’s also a blessing to
the server, and I was so blessed by that one day. As I watched children come by to play and
later return to play again, my heart was warmed. I love children, and my heart swelled with tenderness
for them from a little toddler to all the ages up. Children are truly a gift from the Lord.
Miss
Rose, one of the women I worked with, inspired me so much by her willingness to
serve. She didn’t even attend our church
yet- she and her family had visited once and her son had participated in the
VBS that week- yet she was still willing to come out and volunteer, to offer
her time and energy on a hot summer day as a sacrifice to be used by the
Lord. That is truly the heart of a
servant, is it not? “Whatever you do,
work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since
you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Col
3:23&24)
In
truth not to minimize reality, I admit the day was hot. Temperatures were high and with a clear blue
sky overhead, the afternoon sun blistered down upon the field behind our
church. Water was an essential to keep
hydrated, but I think most of us still perspired the water as quickly as we
drank it, despite our efforts to stay in the shade as much as possible. Thankfully the Lord blessed us with a
refreshing breeze every now and then though.
What a blessing on such a warm day!
Needless to say, the icy snow cones were apparently one of the favorite
free foods offered.
But though
it was hot, I heard no complaints from those I volunteered with or from those
others of my church family that I socialized with. Everyone seemed a good sport about it and
willing to pitch in and help make the day a success. Our senior pastor, youth leader, and
children's pastor all good-naturedly took turns sitting in the dunking tank
even. What a main attraction that was! Everyone was there because they wanted to
volunteer, they wanted to serve. They
were there because they wanted to be.
And nothing was going to stand in the way of that. As I looked around at my church family being
the hands and feet of the Lord, I felt connected to them again. We were all there for one purpose and had one
goal in mind as we served side-by-side.
Any and all differences of opinions and differences of personalities
were set aside; there was no discord. We
were the body of Christ united in Him; we were family… and I truly felt like we
were.
The
event lasted from two o’clock in the afternoon to six o’clock, but I still
wasn’t ready for it to end. It saddened my heart as I watched the men begin
taking down the awnings. It had been one
the best days I had known since I had volunteered for McKeever’s First Ride
back in April (see Freedom from the Former from April 2013). And unfortunately, the day had reached its
close. I went home with my parents that
afternoon hot, sweaty, with aching feet from running back and forth on the
gravel for more prizes. My back even got
sunburned. But it didn’t matter. None of what I had sacrificed mattered to
me. I had received in return more than
double of what I had offered. I was
overflowing with happiness; I was content and satisfied. I felt fulfilled. The restlessness was all gone that day for I
had been doing exactly what God had called me to do, and my heart rejoiced in
the opportunity. I didn’t know what laid
down the road or even what the next day would bring, but the Lord had opened
the door and I had walked through it.
And more than ever now does my heart yearn to be used by Him in ministry
and missions outreach. God doesn’t
always reveal His plans in bright lights, but instead sometimes shows us our
purpose by one step at a time.
“Never
be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction,
faithful in prayer. Share with God’s
people who are in need. Practice
hospitality.” Romans 12:11-13
Photo courtesy: www.123rf.com
~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,”
but heart-chords? I was struggling to
decide what to name my blog. I wanted it
to be a name that was both creative and meaningful. As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic
guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts-
our lives- are instruments. They are
constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own
decisions. They can play a melody for
praise or for entertainment. A musician
selects his songs according to his audience.
So do we. Whether our audience is
the world or the Lord, our song will be different. This blog is designed to first, increase my
awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share
the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of
praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument.
Music is a powerful tool. Use it
for His glory. “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of
praise to our God. Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3
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