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For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but
to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.
MARK 10:45
Serving others, when it becomes a habit, becomes an art form that can bring great pleasure and a sense of accomplishment to us and our families. When I hosted leadership intensives in my home over the years to train women how to reach out and minister to others, I found that the response to my messages was so much more heartfelt when I served those who came with a fun, lovely meal. Even a sandwich tray becomes a feast when offered to one who finds that hospitality was just what they needed—the loving care of someone else given to them.
Here is a story I have often told that taught my boys to be givers, lovers, those who would reach out.
Even though the rain slowed me down, my heart was in a hurry as we pulled up to a stoplight in Nashville. That’s when we all saw the weather-beaten man on the curb holding up a rain-soaked sign. It was just Joel, 7, and Nathan, 5, in the backseat, and we were
running late for their weekly music lessons. My anxious heart thumped to the rhythm of the windshield wipers as I waited for the green light to go. I quickly glanced at the bedraggled figure standing outside our car. No. I couldn’t stop today. Not today. There simply wasn’t time.
“Mama,” Nathan’s voice piped up from the backseat. “Look at that man in the rain. Look, he has a sign. He must be cold.”
Then Joel joined in to read the words off the soaked sign: “‘Homeless. Anything helps. God bless.’” I was still looking at the light waiting for green. “Look, Mom, he only has one leg.”
For a moment, Joel contemplated this observation with a solemn, sad little face, and then he turned to me, eyes big and urgent. I knew where this was headed. “Mom, we should help him. We should buy him a hamburger!” I glanced at my watch and scouted the busy street for any nearby fast f ood restaurants. There were none in sight. But Joel, seeing the hesitation in my face, leaned forward from the back, straining against his seatbelt. “Come on, Mom,” he urged, “he really needs our help, and you’ve told us we should always try to help the people God puts in our way.”
He was right. Clay and I were always telling our kids to keep their eyes open for the people God might put in their lives who needed their help or kindness. We wanted our kids to see themselves as servants, to have a self-perception as givers. I couldn’t argue with Joel’s impulse to give. I decided that today music lessons would simply have to wait and I rolled down my window.
I hope you’ll join me on the podcast today, to hear the rest of this story! You can also read about it here …
