Life of Service Fleshed Out

As I was working on organizing all of these thoughts, I was sitting at our local Chick-Fil-A (one of my favorite places, by the way). I was asking God for practical ways to flesh out a life of service in the midst of our busy mommy chaos. How do we create a lifestyle without adding burden to our already burdened lives, because Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

As I was working on my computer, one of the Chick-Fil-A employees came and sat at the table next to me for her dinner break. She had begun to eat her dinner when she noticed a homeless man eating by himself on the outside patio. His hands were thoroughly dirty, as were his clothes and hair. His face was worn and tired, showing the cruel wear and tear of the world around him.

This young girl watched him from her booth inside for a couple of minutes, then got up, grabbed her tray of food, and walked out the door. She walked to his table, set her tray down, and asked if she could join him. I watched her extend her hand in greeting, and I watched him hesitate, staring in disbelief, and then slowly reach out and take her hand. 

Have you ever seen a person soften? Have you ever seen the power of the human touch? As I watched his eyes light up, I wondered how long it had been since someone touched him last? This young girl sat down with him, and I watched the two of them engage in conversation. She was asking questions, and he was answering, telling stories, sharing a bit of his journey. She was listening, caring for who he was, restoring humanity to an inhumane situation. It was so beautiful and so real and so Jesus. She had eyes to see and ears to hear the promptings of the Lord, and she was obedient.

Would I be willing to do the same? 

Would you?

This is what it is to serve. Eyes to see, ears to hear, a heart constantly on the lookout for those in need, open arms to embrace, and open hands to give, ready to give it all away. When we talk about serving, it is a lifestyle choice. Especially after we make a conscious choice to follow Jesus, we are choosing to follow in His steps, love as he loved, give as He gave, and serve as He served.

In wrapping all of this up, I came across Galatians 5:6, which says, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” I realize that not everyone is called to serve in Africa or Asia, or Hawaii (hehe). But every single one of us has been called to serve. We have been called to be witnesses, to give an account, to leave an imprint of Christ in every situation and circumstance we come across. And Jesus walked out how He wants us to live. And then he said, "Do as I do." There are so many great projects out there to be done, but unless we are making a human connection and touching an actual life, are we really loving, or are we checking off another errand to run? We may even thoroughly enjoy the errand, but without availing yourself to be a part of a human connection, it’s hard to really love. Just as Isaiah 5 said, that we would be the ones to make the community livable again. That's powerful image to hold onto. 

I'll talk more about that soon...