Safety vs Service

  I was listening to a sermon yesterday about serving and that's ultimately what we are put on earth to do. It's what Jesus did in his life and ultimately in his death. Serving others is what brings us fulfillment. It seems so simple yet all of us humans struggle with it. It almost feels against the grain. We have to force ourselves to serve others yet it makes us feel so good after the fact. That got me thinking. 

We are presented with so many opportunities daily to serve others. It may be as simple as a smile to uplift another person's day or it could be as great as running into a fire to bring a total stranger out alive. They are both serving. It may be stopping your day to help someone with directions or sitting with a stranger who is contemplating suicide. They are both serving. It may be writing a check to help a non-profit or it could be getting on a plane and heading to Africa to sleep on dirt floors with people and help them build wells. They are both serving. The point is, the act does not matter. It's about the intention behind it and the action of doing it. We all have the innate desire to serve. It's hard-wired into us.  So why don't we do it?

For most of us we value our safety of life and comfort of our day over the desire to serve and the discomfort of the stretch that goes along with it. The key here is safety and comfort over sacrifice and discomfort. To serve is to sacrifice. Time. Energy. Resources. You name it. In some way you must sacrifice to serve. That sacrifice from the superficial perspective creates a gap in our safety and comfort. It makes us question the act of service. It causes our ego to ask the question, "is it worth it?"  The easy, 2021 answer is "No, it's not." So we keep on with our lives. We miss the opportunity to help that person. To impact that kid. To shift someone's perspective. To change someone's heart by giving through yours. We lose the gift within the service and that's the fulfillment of making the sacrifice for another. 

So the next time you see the opportunity to serve someone in some way, take the time to listen to the reasoning you start making on why you SHOULDN'T do it. It's all about maintaining your safe little comfortable world. Start to reason as to why you SHOULD do it. It's all about THEM and not you. Take that moment to start making a new choice. Go against the grain of your mind. Choose to serve. Know the payoff is long-term and not short-term. Know this is what life is really about. 

Choose others over self. 
Choose service over safety.

Dr. Brett