It’s interesting that when I thought about this topic, my first thought was “serving others.” Now, I’m wondering if #serving others is a farce. When we put ourselves forward to serve, the benefits that come back to us many times feel so much better than what we’ve done in our service.
A personal mantra of mine is “to make a difference.” It’s difficult for me to sit back and watch others serve. I typically jump in to help. Perhaps sometimes my help isn’t really needed, but is accepted, so my impact is small. That’s fine; sometimes, it’s the small gestures that mean the most to someone else. Other times, I’ve been the leader in service. While that role comes with a dual-opportunity to serve both the team and the recipients of our collective service, it still feels good to use my talents in a way that makes a difference.
Our #church is encouraging members to go on a short-term mission trip sometime in the next two years. One week of our lives submitted to the need of a ministry in our city, country, or abroad, to step out of our comfort zone and into someone else’s way of everyday life. One week to let the Holy Spirit empower and sustain us in eating different foods, doing different work, and living within the constraints of water limitations or other conveniences we take for granted.
What kind of #impact can one week have on those we go to serve? As workers, we will hopefully help move a project along that would otherwise take months to complete. We will be extra hands to help lift the load those we are serving carry every day. One word, one conversation, or one act of service will connect two individuals from different areas of our city or parts of the world, perhaps for eternity. By the time we leave, we will be different people. We will see the world through a different lens. We may approach situations in our own lives differently. And we will, through the Holy Spirit, have made an impact that will foster something wonderful for those we’ve served.
How can you serve or volunteer in 2025? It may not be a week in another country; perhaps it will be an hour or afternoon right where you live. Either way, you have encouragement to offer someone in need of hearing from you.
All the best,
KK
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