I'm working a lot through my head, with this one. Sometimes...some of the things I'm called to do, put me FRONT-&-CENTER. I'm not saying I really WANT that, but sometimes I feel called to be doing just that & this chapter talks about TRUE servants...being content & happy in the shadows. I felt constricted, useless, & just wrong "in the shadows." Kinda like...I was WASTING time & God-given gifts. Right now, where I'm at with it, is that I know all of our ministries & SHAPES are different & some of us will be called to be in more public roles & platforms than others. For that same reason, our role as a SERVANT will be VERY unique to us. I TRULY...don't FULLY understand the who, what, where, why, how to this. I just KNOW it is NECESSARY to become more like Christ. My frustration comes in because there is a fine line we walk with SHARING our experiences with others (which I see as bringing more people to Jesus) & SHARING and losing site of the PURPOSE of sharing.
At this point, I know that God is working on me & giving me more of a SERVANT'S HEART. I can also tell you that I'm A LOT further along than what I was...even two weeks ago, BUT I have a long way to go (yet...also VERY aware that God can speed things up & slow things down...anytime he chooses.) There are several RECENT situations that have happened & PEOPLE that have...re-entered my life in a NEW way...that tests my patience. Like...probably would have avoided these interactions at all costs & could have...relatively easily, but (only by God's grace) I chose not to. I KNOW (in this one particular situation I am talking about) I will have NO CHOICE, but to act as servant. It will be NECESSARY to the safety of the individual.
Something I have learned...the more you KNOW...the more RESPONSIBLE you become. The more successful you become, the more RESPONSIBLE you are for protecting & upholding that success. If you ignore the responsibility than you are ignoring/discarding/forgetting/belittling/down-playing/etc. the KNOWLEDGE & SUCCESS you have. I have ventured from the story a little bit, but I REALLY thought this recent interaction with this one person would be VERY short-lived...& now I view it as a TOTAL BLESSING. I mean...I don't know...if any of you have ever become SO aware of an area of yourself that you need to "work on," but didn't become AWARE of it until you were actually working on it...but that's what happened. Here's a list of some of the things this experience has helped me with: PATIENCE, slowing down, refining a talent/skill that hasn't REALLY been used in quite some time, seeing VALUE in what I bring to the table, seeing how helping another person can allow that person to help me, & CREATING an opportunity to SHARE my walk with God. All that....through one act of serving someone else.
Another thing that comes to mind when I read this chapter is how, in certain circumstances, one of the things I like the very least (washing dishes), I can do HAPPILY in certain situations. I KNOW this may seem silly, but the first time I read this chapter I put forth effort to wash those dishes & other peoples dishes GLADLY. It was WORK to TRY and enjoy it...tough work. Yet, in certain situations I will hop right to it, get it done, & move onto the next thing. In my eyes...the situation where I just do it, is a place where it NEEDS to be done & it needs to be done IN THAT MOMENT. Most other times...I can find LOTS of other things that NEED to be done sooner.
The other thought that really came to mind when reading this chapter is the LEVEL of servitude in my family & friends. I mean I have some friends & family members that are TRUE servants. They don't want anything else, but to help get IT done. Whatever IT might be. I mean...it can be anything from juggling the doctor appointments of 3 family members throughout the week, to riding along with you to HELP....IF you need it, to dropping what they are doing to help someone else accomplish what they NEED to accomplish. Like I said before, God created us all uniquely...right down to the WAY we serve. I think God designed us to long to SERVE others & we all do in some capacity. It's yet another way God created us, to HELP each other.
"Point to Ponder: I serve God by serving others."
Daily Verse: "If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded." Matthew 10:42 (NLT)
Daily Question: "Which of the six characteristics of real servants offers the greatest challenge to me?
From my Journal: Doing every task with equal dedication. There are some tasks that I don't like doing. This goes through areas of life and work & I really have a hard time with this characteristic.
If I'd have to share my progress from that point to now...I'd say that it has gotten BETTER, but I still have a lot to work on with it. I mean I'm not beaming with enthusiasm or anything, but have started to accept the IMPORTANCE of some tasks...more than what I once did.
Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus! He'll show you WHERE he needs you to serve & when He needs you to, also. God Bless!
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