Cultivating a Servant's Heart

After a short hiatus, I am back. I have been "in the field", so to speak, the past few days. I have been giving of my time to help someone else, doing some things I don't normally do and wouldn't normally do. I am a writer. Any work with my hands usually comes in the form of pounding out an article on the keyboard or taking some notes. As a mother and a wife, I get my hands dirty around the house, but it is nothing compared to this.

I have nothing against anyone who earns their daily bread getting greasy, dirty or sweaty; it is just not for me. My father was a carpenter, he came home sunburned and sweaty all the time. My step dad was an auto body mechanic, he worked hard with his hands too. I grew up to marry an auto body mechanic, an aircraft mechanic and an automotive mechanic. Got nothing against hard work and manual labor.

I just mean to say it is out of my normal zone of experience. But I have been lending my hands and pondering what it means to have a servant's heart. It is a term I have been hearing quite frequently as I grow and learn and seek out new positive influences in my life. The definition of it was elusive to me and not quite clear until I ran across a website article that gave me a satisfactory explanation.

People of Faith has an article, "A Servant's Heart", that asks if God has blessed you with the insight to see the needs of others and reach out in compassion and understanding even when they cannot reach out and ask for help. It is about serving others, not just those who ask.

I was asked to come lend a hand. I chose to help for three days. I could have quit sooner. I was certainly under no obligation. I probably helped for so long because it seemed no one else was willing to help. There was a certain amount of incredulity that everyone else was shirking responsibility and I was there working. After all, they were the employees and I was a volunteer. I guess not the right attitude when you are cultivating a servant's heart, but I am still learning.

I went next door to a restaurant for a lunch break and on the way I passed a man who was sitting on the sidewalk. You know the ones who everyone avoids eye contact with because they know he is going to ask for money. I said hello on my way into the restaurant. As I ordered and got my change, I thought about the change from my order and that I could easily afford to give that money to help that man out.

I wasn't thinking things like "go get a job". I was just thinking about a small act that could have a huge impact on someone's day. A few dollars when you have none is sometimes big. It can make the difference between having lunch off the dollar menu or going hungry.

I was fully prepared to hand over that money when I went back out. The man muttered something low and unintelligible as I walked out the door. I asked him if he needed some change and his face virtually lit up when I handed him folding money and not the kind that jingles.

Cultivating a servant's heart is going to require looking beyond myself and really seeing what others need. I imagine the spiritual rewards are going to be great.

Resources
Day 72 - Showing Christian Love To Others

People Of Faith - A Servant's Heart