You Were Shaped For Serving God

I just got a call from Deb.

She told me Kim's mom called. Kim needs to hurry back to Wisconsin. Her dad is not doing well. Kim's family must pack to leave.

"Pray for her, OK?" Deb asked. "Let the others know."

OK, Deb.

I hang up my cell and speed dial Kim.

"What can I do to help you, Kim?"

"I'm OK, Deb's here cooking."

I'm not surprised. Deb is a master at service. She reminds me of Chapter 33 of The Purpose Driven Life.

"We serve God by serving others," the first line of the chapter says. Of course...it's obvious.

I'm on the phone to Kim. Deb is in her kitchen cookin up supper. What a gal!

Real servants do what's needed, even when it's inconvenient. Good job Deb!

We miss many occasions for serving because we lack sensitivity and spontaneity. There we go -- I'm overbooked. Hmmmmm I've got a lot to learn about servanthood from Deb.

I love what Rick Warren says about service in this chapter. He says, basically, (forgive my paraphrase) Service does not have to be perfect to be pleasing.

Service can be sloppy.

Yikes! That scares this "Type A" person!

"The truth is," Rick Warren notes, " everything we do is done poorly when we first start doing it. That's how we learn."

So, I'm thinking everything does not have to be planned out. That's tough for and OCD Kid :) I'm working on it.

But, back to Deb in the kitchen. Last week she called me to pray over a friend who lost his brother. "We're meeting to pray...come on over."

I didn't make it (sick child) Missed a blessing tho.

We did get together in service, Deb & I. I'll write about that on a later date. Right now, tho, I'm back to learning from Deb...and the Purpose Driven Life (by the way, the book's available from the Faith Family Resource Center -- a good read!)

Real servants do every task with equal dedication. "Whatever work you do...do it with all your heart." My kids learned this sing-song from Kids Bible Study -- It's not a bad Bible verse -- Look it up.

Great opportunities often disguise themselves in small tasks.

Deb was cooking dinner so Kim could pack. It was a divine mission.

I often write about everyday heroes...people who do small things with big consequences. That's the best kind of hero to me.

The most significant service is often the service that is unseen.

I think of the sweet grandmas in my hometown of East St. Louis, Illinois. They pray for their grandchildren...day after day...year after year. Sometimes, their prayers are answered, sometimes, not. But they continue to serve with prayer.

Don't be discouraged when your service is unnoticed or taken for granted. Keep on serving God!

"Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for Him is a waste of time or effort." -- 1Corin15:58

Even the smallest service is noticed by God and will be rewarded.

"If, as my representatives, you give even a cup of cold water to a little child, you will surely be rewarded." -- Matt 10:42

Thanks, Deb, for the lesson in service.