Acts of Service

Acts of Service

I've been thinking a lot in the last few weeks of how my family can serve others.

Ephesians 6:7 tells us:

"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people"

and Matthew 20:28 says:

"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."

I don't know about you, but the older I get, the more mature I become in Christ, the more I want to look like Him and though I have a long way to go, the most important part is that I am continuing to let Him chisel away at the selfish calluses of my own heart and entrusting my heart to Him to be softened and refined, and become beautiful like His.

Jesus loved.  Jesus served again and again and again He served.  In ridicule, He served.  In ridicule He loved.  We are to do the same.  That He would be glorified through out own acts of service.  That our motivation here on earth would not be to receive honor and glory and praise, but that our Savior would be honored, glorified, and praised through our service.

Picture from aboutjesuschrist.org

So what does that mean?  What does serving look like in our families, with our friends, and in our community?

I am still activeley praying and thinking about what this looks like for our family but I do know a few things.  First, how can my husband and I teach our children to serve others if we aren't an example to them?  Second, you have to start somewhere.  You can't go from doing nothing to doing everything overnight.  Pray about what God wants for your family.  Pray about the specific passions He has put on your heart and them be obedient to those things.  Currently I am thinking about doing one thing monthly outside of our home somehow.  I find that in the fall it's easy to start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas and serving others but what about the rest of the year?  I desire for our family to be serving others all year long whether it be a service project outside of our home or sponsoring a child oversees every month...there are tons of things we can do to help others and teach our children the value in doing so!

I've found that often times we associate the word serving with serving people outside of our homes, but in reflection this past week I am realizing how important it is to serve our own families well so we can then serve others well.  So here are some ideas to get you started with serving as a family in your own home!

How can we serve our husbands?

Ask your husband what he loves to have done for him around the house?  What drives him crazy when he comes  home from work and sees that "thing" still sitting out, still left undone, whatever it is....make sure that "thing" is done for him.  Teach your children how much it honors their father, when they make sure this is taken care of before dad gets home.

In our home my husband really appreciates it when:

• the laundry is done- not left sitting in a laundry basket, shirts put away the way he likes them, things are ironed, and that the undone laundry is left in hampers and kept at bay.  (Now we all know there are seasons in life where this is impossible- but when I can do this, I know how much it honors him and so I strive to do it as much as I can.)
• The refrigerator isn't overflowing and disorganized (he's a chef....so if you really want to go the extra mile to put a smile on his face then label everything and date it :)  

A few more ideas for how to serve your husband:

• Pack his lunch for him
• Make his favorite meal on the menu this week
• Do his least favorite chore for him
• Run an errand for him
• Bake his favorite dessert
• Give him time alone from the kids or you to do something he wants to do for once instead of hearing the never ending "honey do list"

How can we serve our children?

• Let them "help"- show them you value them just by letting them be your mini me- in the kitchen, etc.  
• Bake their favorite dessert
• Make their favorite meal
• Sometimes, just like your spouse, remember that they probably didn't intentionally forget to put their underwear in the hamper again...and just put it in the hamper for them.  Don't tell them about it.  Don't hold it against them.  Just do it.  
• Do one of their chores for them
• Stop what you are doing off of your own list and just spend time with them- play with them, watch a movie with them, play a video game with them.  
• Pack their lunch for them.
• Make a special breakfast for them.
• Give them a special privilege
• Do something you normally wouldn't do- spend a little bit more money to do a fun activity with your kids, or let them stay up a little past their bedtime on a weekend night.  

How can we serve our friends?

• Send them an encouraging note (by mail, email, facebook, or even a text)
• Call them or leave an encouraging voicemail if they aren't there
• Ask to go out to coffee and buy their drink
• Offer to babysit their kids so they can have a date night
• Take them a meal
• Bake them something (make sure you make an extra large batch so your family can enjoy too!)
• Just listen....sometimes we girls talk to much.  Start practicing your listening skills
• Don't judge....I've realized over time how many times I have been a horrible friend in my life because I have judged too much.  My closest friends are the ones who have chosen to love me even in my most horrible moments.  

How can we serve others in our community/world/etc?

• Participate in food pantries- if you are good at couponing you can even get a lot of stuff for free to give away and it won't break your budget
• Sponsor a child through a place like Compassion International, World Vision, and so many more!
• Donate!- Start researching places in your community and praying about what God puts on your heart and challenges you to give to.  Give to missionaries, causes, etc.  Just be obedient to what God calls you to.  He will bless you through it!  Here is one to get you started though I am a bit biased because these are actual friends of ours whom we love dearly:  The Ucherek Family
• Ring the bell for the Salvation Army during the holiday season
• Serve a meal as a family at a food pantry
• Participate in Habitat for Humanity
• Operation Christmas Child is a program where you fill up a shoebox full of goodies (small toys, candy, crayons, coloring books etc to send to a needy child oversees.
• Angel Tree is something we have at our local churches during the holidays where you choose a specific child and give them things they need off of their list....toys can be included as well so that they also can have a christmas.
• Offer to get an elderly persons groceries for them so they don't have to drive on their own.
• Our local prolife pregnancy center is currently having people fill up baby bottles with loose change to help them raise money so we just picked up one at church  yesterday.
• Collect school supplies for families in need.

Sometimes I hear a gentle prodding that encourages me, even when my husband leaves his shoes out for the millionth time....it's a soft voice but it's there...."Put them away for him and don't remind him that he left them out again."  Oh how I cringe to hear my Savior whisper that into my ear sometimes, but how right He is!  How much better can we serve our husbands when we choose to respect them and exhibit love and grace in our actions.  How much better do we serve our children by showing them these small acts of service to the most important man in their life?

I've had many spiritual attacks over the years as Satan tried to prevent me from carrying out an act of service that God asked me to do (including a screaming baby while trying to put out a grease fire in my kitchen which contained the meal for the family who just brought home a newborn....ha!  True story I swear :)
It's the times that I feel the most resistance and attack from Satan that I've found it's typically the most important time to press onward and carry on.  My friend Ellie told me that once and it's so true!


Never forget the ultimate act of service that our Savior exhibited on the cross.  He died so that we might live!  What an amazing testimony that is!  Do you think Jesus didn't experience spiritual attack?  Of course He did but He knew what God asked Him to do.  He even begged "Father if you are willing take this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done." (Luke 22:42).  What Jesus did was more than hard.  It was pure agony and yet He did it anyway.

Picture from http://hiscrivener.wordpress.com/tag/jesus-saves/

So what now?

Pray.  Pray with your husband.  Pray with your children and ask God what He wants your family to do to serve Him more.  This doesn't mean you over commit yourself.  This doesn't mean you should feel guilty because a family you know gives $300 a month to their missionary and you can only give $5.  All God asks is that we are obedient to what He asks of us and friends what He asks of you will probably not be the same as your best friend, your neighbor, or your church leaders.  Just be obedient to what He puts on your hearts and don't look back.  Now go and be His hands and feet!

There are so many more things you can do to serve others so please feel free to comment and share more ideas with me and others!!

Blessings from my home to yours!

Bridget