I awoke with that all-too-familiar pain throbbing behind my eye. Sleep had been sparse, and my body ached. After fifteen years of living with chronic health issues, I was no stranger to beginning the day like this: feeling like the candle was burned on both ends before breakfast.
My husband and oldest son were on a long trip, and most of the other kids were battling a nasty stomach bug. Only a few days (and long nights) in, and I was weary in body and tender in heart. It had also been a season so laced with heartaches that even the glorious morning sunlight felt harsh. Sometimes days like this included the freedom to rest or slip away to process and pray in quiet, but this one did not. I was being called to increased self-sacrifice.
Right then. I felt like the one in need of care. I longed for relief, but I knew my kids needed me—not just for their physical care, but to help them navigate the disappointment of canceled plans and missing daddy and big brother. But before the spiral of self-pity went into full swing, the Lord impressed upon my mind and heart a truth that He has regularly—and increasingly—brought me to in recent years:
You meet the needs of others in my Name, and I’ll take care of you.
I had to believe it in faith, battling the pull of my feelings that told me a different story in that moment. But I’d been in places like this enough times to know God would come through for me if I chose to look to Him over my circumstances. And you know what? He did take care of me.
In my fervent (yet imperfect) clinging to Him, He provided the grace to press on, one moment at a time. He used truths from His Word to comfort my heart and bolster my faith. Timely text messages and porch drop-offs from the Body of Christ reminded me that He was watchful over my needs, both physical and emotional. He was faithful again and again, just as He promises He will be.
Cultivating a Heart That Serves
The Christian life is full of paradoxes—God’s way is counterintuitive to our natural way of thinking. Jesus made this abundantly clear while He was here on earth, and it flows through His teaching in the Gospels. The last shall be first and the first, last (Matt. 19:30); the way to life is through death (Matt. 10:39; John 12:24–25); the greatest is the one who serves (Luke 22:27; Mark 10:45), to name a few. One more is so commonplace for those of us who’ve been Christians for some time that I’m afraid we don’t really stop to ponder it. It can be summed up in what’s come to be known as the Golden Rule:
“Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)
In essence, when we feel the desire for something ourselves, Jesus tells us to turn around and do it for another. Our natural tendency is to find ways in which to have that need met for ourselves, and there are times to share our needs and ask for help. But our disposition should be one that is always looking outward, and God uses this as a means through which He delights to provide for us. Proverbs 11:24–25 says,
One person gives freely,
yet gains more;
another withholds what is right,
only to become poor.A generous person will be enriched,
and the one who gives a drink of water
will receive water.
Am I longing for encouragement? I should seek to encourage another.
Am I wanting a listening ear? I need to be ready to be a listening ear for another.
Am I feeling the need for a break from cooking another meal after a long week? Maybe I should pick up a rotisserie chicken for another mom-friend going through an intense season who’d be blessed by a break too.
This “do unto others” kind of service is a radical shift from our self-first culture. It demonstrates the reality that God can be trusted to meet our needs, and that His ways are higher than ours (Rom. 11:34). It puts the joy that comes from following Jesus’ example on display and counteracts the lie that we’re happiest when serving ourselves. Is it easy? No. It requires a choice to die to our flesh with each new opportunity. But the more we practice it, the more we realize just how much life and joy lies on the other side.
What about those who are physically unable to do what usually comes to mind as acts of service due to ailments or other kinds of very real limitations? Whether it’s a season of life or a lifelong condition that keeps us from being able to do what others are able to, this doesn’t mean we are exempt from the blessing of serving. The Lord can help us cultivate a servant’s heart that will pour out in our prayers, our words, and in our demeanors. We can also remember that God has put us in the broader Body of Christ, each entrusted with differing gifts and talents to use for His glory (Rom. 12:3–8). Our means of service are not intended to look exactly like everyone else’s, even if we don’t have any out-of-the-ordinary limitations. God cares first about what’s happening in the internal life and knows our legitimate restrictions. We can rest knowing He’ll make it clear where, when, and how to pour out for others as He sees fit.
As we seek to grow in this heart of trust in the Lord’s ways, here are a couple more things we can keep in mind:
He Knows What We Need When We Need It
One potential trap we might fall into is thinking that God will care for us as we care for others in exactly the same way we want to be cared for. But God knows far better what we need than we do. Just like a hungry child who asks their parents for a cookie might receive a slice of chicken instead, God knows what is fitting for us right then.
We do well indeed to believe the truth of 2 Corinthians 9:6–7 which says,
The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.
But we ought not have an overly simplistic approach to this sowing and reaping. Some people twist this to say that if you give money away then you’ll get that much and more materially in return. The reality is, we might be called to give money to another to provide for a need, but the “reaping” (at least initially) might simply be the joy that comes from this kind of service. Or it might be some unexpected provision of another need down the road. Just because we give a certain way doesn’t mean we’ll receive in the same way. We have to trust that the Lord knows what our sowing and reaping will produce and entrust that to Him as we give cheerfully out of all that He’s granted to us to steward.
Serve with a Humble Heart
It pains me to think about how many times I’ve set out to serve well, only to realize hidden motives of pride lurking in my heart. Sometimes it’s been saying yes to certain commitments out of a desire to be seen as dependable or trustworthy. Other times I’ve been convicted of wanting to be noticed or thought well of for my abilities. What happens, then, is that rather than the service being an act of worship to Christ, it becomes a means to prop up myself.
Does this mean we say no to anything that might spark a prideful motive? Certainly not. It simply means that we need to cast ourselves upon Christ, knowing that He alone can change our motives. He can help us to serve with joy in secret, with no recognition or short term reward, because He’s given us His Spirit to do that miraculous work in us.We have both the choice and the ability to die to ourselves in order to serve and love with a pure heart. We have the ability to repent when grumpiness or entitlement start tainting our attitude. All we must do is,
Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5–8)
This is our Savior. This is our King. As we fix our gaze upon Him and His example it becomes a privilege and joy to join Him in this kind of radical love and service toward others. Every new opportunity brings another chance to take up our cross and follow Him (Matt. 16:24). Are crosses painful? Without a doubt. But as Jesus promised those who follow Him, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it” (Matt. 16:25).
Today is a new day to really trust His pattern for living by His grace. It’s a little scary. But with quivering knees and a heart of expectation, I ask: will you join me?
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