By serving others, we shift the focus from ourselves, our own wants and needs, and put others needs at the front of our minds. I believe this is how God created us to think, to be, and to interact with one another. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35.
Some days, when I’m feeling particularly touchy or irritable, I’ve discovered that if I can humble myself and serve people, my attitude flips on its head.
Some days, when I’m feeling particularly touchy or irritable, I’ve discovered that if I can humble myself and serve people, by doing the dishes, praying for someone or sharing words of encouragement, my attitude flips on its head. When I’m serving someone intentionally the focus shifts from myself and my inner feelings to others and their feelings. By doing this, I am aligning myself with Jesus’ mission to love and serve others. My mind becomes aligned with God’s mind, my heart becomes aligned with His heart, and my eyes become aligned with His eyes.
Serving others just generally gives you a good feeling! At any sort of fundraising or community events, personally, I enjoy them way more if I’m involved behind the scenes serving people, loving on people, and generally just helping out. DTS has helped me to serve others in so many ways. For example:
- We have work duties 3 days a week, my work duty is communications, so I call potential students and answer their questions about YWAM North Cascades, and encourage them to chase whatever God is calling them to! This is how I serve the staff, by helping to take a load off of their plates.
- I live in a community with 32 other students, so… it is vitally important to be able to humble yourself and apologise for your mistakes! To put yourself aside and think of others before yourself, whether it’s in the line for food, loving on someone when they’re sick or just giving friends a back rub. This is how I aim to serve others in small ways.
- When beginning class every morning we will get up and pray for the speaker, when the speaker leaves we have a card that we will all write on for them, thanking them for the time and effort they put into us all, then we’ll all pray for them together to send them off. This is how we serve our guest speakers.
“After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” John 13:5.
Jesus paints the perfect picture of what it means to serve wholeheartedly. He’s the best example of a true leader by far! His leadership style, however, is not what the world perceives a strong leader to be. The world would say that a strong leader is in a position of power, and while that power holds responsibility, there is an element of control there. Jesus, on the other hand, sought to use his “power” and position to show us how to love one another. By washing each other’s feet, you are putting yourself in a position of servanthood, below your brother, below your friend, in order to love them fully. Jesus leads by example, and He wouldn’t ask anyone to do something that he wasn’t willing to do first.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” John 15:13.
Written by Shennae McBride
