In the midst of my discouragement over the struggle to find a full time job, God has been faithful. Since I moved to Idaho I have struggled to understand God's plan for "my" life. I have often asked, "what is my purpose in life?" or "why am I waisting my life on these silly part time jobs?" Little did I realize that God was taking me through a long process of breaking me down and humbling me in order to teach me a very important lesson.
Lesson: Your purpose in life is to love whole heartily and to serve others no matter how they treat you, what your social status is, or how "important" you think you are. Serve others and when you are tired of serving others, get up and continue to serve because your service might be the only representation of Jesus that they will ever come in contact with.
Yes, I know, what a simple lesson that can be read over and over in the Bible...but honestly, coming from a girl whose "service" radar reads very low, this lesson has been beyond difficult to implement! It is easy to serve others that think the world of you or who are in desperate physical need of help. It is even easy to do a little thing here and there to make you feel extra generous, but what about the days when you just don't FEEl like it. All you want to do is go to Starbucks, read your book while listening to your iPod to block out the needs around you, and then you walk out the door putting on your sunglasses to cover your eyes from anything you don't want to see. ...and God is asking, "Did you serve the frazzled waitress in Starbucks? Or what about the mother that was sitting in the corner drinking her coffee and wondering how she was going to find the energy to deal with her 5 children while her husband is gone on another business trip?" Yet, so often we continue to walk out that door, turn on our car radio and drowned out the soft whispers that prompt us to go back in.
Unfortunately, so often that is exactly what I do; I ignore all the service opportunities around me because I just don't feel like serving. I think I deserve a day just for me...what a lie that Satan has infiltrated into our culture; "a day just for me".
The way Jesus has called us to serve others is continual, fluid, never ceasing...even when we just don't feel like it.
"If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." ~Matt. 5:46-48
2 comments:
So amazingly wise! I needed to read your blog today. thank you for blessing me more than you know.
I love you... :) Don't you love all that God's willing to do for us to teach us and conform us to the image of His Son? :)
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