Service

A year ago, I went on a God experience weekend and had an incredible weekend.  I grew in ways I hadn't anticipated and I had some powerful things happen.

Last weekend, my husband went on this same weekend experience.

This weekend, I have a few friends who are there - some experiencing the Walk to Emmaus and some there to work the Walk in various ways.

One of the best things about the Walk to Emmaus weekends that come up is the reminder that it is an awesome and incredible thing to be able to serve the people you love and to love and serve people you don't even know.

There are people who totally do that without God.  I know some of them.

But the majority of atheists and non-believers in a higher power don't seem to have that same sense of selfless and compassionate giving of time, talents, and treasure.

And I know plenty of people who claim to follow Christ who don't serve others without selfish motives.

All of that aside, personally... I just get such a high when I am able to serve others in some way.

Reaching out to a friend and being to find a way to help them through a headache situation.

Reaching out to connect someone who needs help to someone who can help.

Making treats or little gifts just to brighten someone's day.

Remembering to invite someone to lunch.

Dropping a note to someone just to connect and say hello.

Leaving a public note of encouragement or praise on a friend's Facebook page.

Handing a bottle of water to the guy on the corner with the cardboard sign.

Buying socks and distributing them to the homeless.

Responding to my child with patience.

And the really amazing thing is that when I focus myself on serving others and seek to selflessly support and love those around me...

My life is better.

Serving others ends up improving my life.  Serving others improves the life of the person I serve.

What an amazing world this could be if we all focused on serving others just for the sake of making someone else's life better.  What an amazing world this would be if we set aside our own problems and our own little wants and "first world problems" and sought to just love other people, support other people, help other people.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” 

― Mahatma Gandhi

“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” 

― Martin Luther King Jr.

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” 

― Barack Obama

“The Simple Path

Silence is Prayer

Prayer is Faith

Faith is Love

Love is Service

The Fruit of Service is Peace” 

― Mother Teresa