SERVICE

Matthew 20:28, “…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Dear reader,

I know the title of today’s blog is service and the first paragraph is a Bible reference….but no, we are not having a choir presenting next followed by announcements. Rather, I started with the Bible reference because it embodies a profound message that I’ve thought about in the most recent week: the act of service.

My journey in adulthood thus far has been full of lonely thought-provoking episodes, often relating to the kind of life I’m living or leading towards…when in school, the journey from 8 to 4 to 4 somehow signified/promised an already established route to success in life: that by following 8-4-4, one would then break out into a flourishing life. While that might be true in some cases, for most, finishing uni results in starting from scratch, literally (8-4-4 = 0).

Anyway, as I’ve been thinking about all these, a “light bulb moment” happened this weekend. The focus of all my thoughts was often about me: the way I feel I’m undervalued at work/I feel I can do better work, that God doesn’t know how happy I can be if He just blessed me with a few million shillings to improve my lifestyle, help the community and give to the church, that potential employers should be fighting over me because well, I went to a great university, did a great course, achieved commendable grades, etc., and many other self-centered thoughts. Well, I’ve eaten the humble pie and it’s worth it.

This weekend, I realized that life is more meaningful when it’s not about me all the time. It hit me that at work, my primary goal is to work for my employer, not to receive the millions I maybe feel I deserve. Now, this is not to imply that we should do the extreme and forget about ourselves. Rather, the focus should be on helping the employer achieve their objectives. That’s the goal, to serve and do it to our level best.

Matters spirituality, I’ve always felt that by giving more/frequently to the needy or to the church, I have the right to receive more as well, or even double. Again this is such a selfish thought that I’ve realized I entertained for a while. We serve Christ: and just like He gave His life to us for the forgiveness of our sins and gave His life to others during His time here on earth, our lives should be centered on giving without expecting anything in return. The journey of Christianity I’ve realized is not the easiest when one expects to receive back what we give. I’ve learned, we ought to serve Christ in what we do and that’s the primary objective. When we participate in philanthropic activities with the aim of glorifying God, we should teach ourselves to do these with a sincere heart of giving and of service.

Service is so beautiful…putting others first, even in the most difficult circumstances elevates your mind to a space of peace and contentment that is so beautiful. If it’s work, I’ve learned to serve my employer/client to the very best of my ability, regardless of whether by merit I deserve better: because by immersing myself in completely serving others, a rich relationship is built. Yes, I feel that since I’ve been giving more God should equate that will showers of blessings: but again, the grace of God is a free gift and our mission on earth is not to get more but to serve Him more.

This lesson is very applicable in many life situations including relationships: by serving each other in a relationship, selfish thoughts fade and a wholesome bond flourishes, one of true friendship and service.

What do you think? Are my thoughts logical? Is service the epitome of a happy life? Feel free to share: I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thank you for reading and have a lovely week. 😊😊