// March 4th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Service
Sometimes it seems no matter where you look, what you read or who you talk to, you keep getting hit over the head with the same message. The message lately has been small things. Be faithful in small things. Don’t take pride in how you are called to serve and never view any act as too small, too menial, too unimportant. Most of all don’t view yourself as overqualified.
I grew up around a culture of community service but when I went to college and then started a job, I never quite found a place for service in my life. Part of that was time and part of that was pride. I never found the time to get involved in something I considered “meaningful” and never considered “meaningful” the ways in which I had time to serve.
I realize now that the important thing is to start serving. Start small. Start tiny if that is what it takes but start. Once a week, once a month… just start! When I finally got around to serving, I started going to Faith Cafe on Saturdays to serve food to the homeless. It wasn’t glamorous work and I’m not sure if on an individual level I made any difference at all. I’m pretty sure Faith Cafe had a bigger impact on me than I had on it because God used my willingness to go and serve cheerfully in a small way to reestablish in me a heart for service and to prepare me for the new, bigger doors that he was about to open.
Service snowballed in me. Once I made time for one thing, there was time for another and He kept calling me to bigger and bigger things. I helped organize some of my workers to work on a Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay project. I was blessed with the opportunity to get involved at I Matter Too (a mentoring and tutoring program for children in the foster care system). I was able to play a major part in the music/purity ministry of a close friend. I went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic where I fell in love with the people and a program called I Love Baseball. More likely than not I’m going back to the Dominican in July to work with I Love Baseball for an extended period of time.
I don’t mean this to sound proud. Don’t take this as a list of my accomplishments. I don’t want praise. I just want to share how God has used me and how he took my tiny willingness to serve, multiplied it by grace and opened big doors.
I’m going to go into more detail on these individual organizations and callings in seperate posts but my point is when you start serving – no matter how small, no matter what level of commitment – it changes you. It breaks down your excuses and hesitancy and allows your desire to serve to grow. It reminds us of something we all know deep down, that life isn’t just about us. How boring would that be if it was? There is something more. We are part of a bigger story.
I don’t mean to imply that you can’t start serving in a small humble way and that is it. That is where you were called. I do know, however, that if you feel called to lead start by serving and through your faithfullness in small things you will be prepared to handle so much more.
His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Mark 25:21)
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