Serving with Joy
by Debbie Poer
The year was 2002 when Jim and I moved to Heiligenkreuz, Austria to live and serve at TCM International Institute’s Haus Edelweiss. It had been just over 12 years since the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union crumbled. Most of the church leaders who came to Haus Edelweiss to attend a class had served in difficult ministry times under communism. For many, Bible study and worship took place within a very closed community for the safety and security of their church members. It was difficult to trust others because one did not know who could be trusted.
During the days they were at Haus Edelweiss, it was not uncommon to hear the question asked of the U.S. volunteers, “Why do you give up your vacation, spend your money, and travel internationally to cook meals, clean rooms, and do maintenance for us?” At first it seemed like such an odd question, because isn’t that what we are called to do as followers of Jesus? I’ve had my own ideas as to why it was such a frequent question, but more importantly that question causes me to consider and re-evaluate my own reasons for serving.
For most of us serving others begins as a “that’s what I’m expected to do and want to do, because I’m a Christian.” We learn from our earliest days that Jesus wants us to serve others. In 1 Peter 4:11 we read, “If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” It’s easy at first and we are excited to serve … because it’s all about Jesus. So, we volunteer to serve in the nursery during worship, we agree to help with funeral dinners, we serve on the grounds committee, the mission committee, and before we know it, we are overwhelmed with our commitments. Suddenly, serving becomes a “have to” instead of a “want to” and we lose our joy of serving.
How do we get back to that sense of wanting to serve and recapture that early joy? For me there are a few things I must do when I am overwhelmed by my commitments and my joy is waning.
First and foremost, I am drawn back into conversation with God about what serving Him looks like for me. I have found the absolute most important part of this prayer is to be spent listening. I have my own ideas of what I want to do – and every way that I am serving has value - but do those ideas align with God’s plan for the best use of my gifts? Most often the answer is not a quick one, but it does come. I’m given clarity and direction on what my next steps should be.
Sometimes the response as a result of my conversations with God is to simply say “no.” That response may not be because I don’t have the gifts or talents to do what is asked of me. It may have to do with so many other life circumstances – other areas I’m already serving, time involvement, priorities of family and marriage.
Sometimes the response is to withdraw from a commitment. Sometimes the health of a family member, a job commitment, or even our own health makes such an action necessary. While no one likes to do that, because we don’t want to disappoint the team and team leader, it might be the best response. When withdrawing from a commitment is necessary it must be done with much thought and prayer beforehand and presented in a loving manner to the lead person.
Sometimes the response is to “calm down.” Have I become too self-righteous in my service, thinking it is all about me and what I might gain from the experience? In a recent Onelife Leadership blog on the discipline of serving the author said, “The wrong state of the heart can lead to ‘self-righteous service,’ where the service comes through human effort, and is concerned about making impressive gains and requires external rewards. ‘True service’ is rooted in our relationship with Jesus.” I have learned when I return my focus to where it should be – serving Jesus – I find the joy in serving also returns.
When I go back to that Haus Edelweiss question, “Why do you give up…,”it’s not really about giving up anything. It’s about sharing my love of Jesus and following His example of serving others. While I can’t serve by healing someone or forgiving their sins, I can serve by holding someone’s hand when they hurt or mourn, or by cleaning a bathroom, or serving on a church committee. When I do those things I find joy, because I know WHO I am truly serving.
