dailydatewithgod

I learned early on about being of service.  In the family I grew up it was understood that as practicing Catholic Christians we were meant to live out our faith in God by doing for others.  I learned the principles of compassion and empathy. In school we did community service and at home we had refugees who came to live with us.  We read and heard the parables of Jesus like the Good Samaritan and the widow with the penny. At school, I gave two pieces of paper to the classmates who didn’t have any even though they only asked for one. I even became and altar server at the age of 10.  Although I am sure my desire to be “on stage” was somewhat the driver, I liked playing a part in a sacred service.  I was rather disappointed to discover, however, that women could not become priests.  The idea of serving others became an integral part of my reality from a very young age and there were multiple avenues in which it was expressed.  I am very grateful to my family and my faith for instilling these ideas in me.  When I got into recovery I came across a similar ideology and learned concretely to practice it in small ways and how quickly it could be the very thing to get me through a rough moment.  Growing up I saw serving others as a way of making myself okay.  If I did it, you liked me and I was safe.  I used it to justify the space on the planet I was not sure I was worthy of taking up.  Sometimes the intention behind a given spiritual teaching or perspective gets lots in translation.  I do not think being a practicing Christian or spiritual person of any kind is asking people to serve others because they need to earn their keep.  As my daily relationship with God has grown, I see it in a very different light. Love moves us to love others.  Just like hurt people hurt people; loved people, love people.  When I am in the awareness of God’s love for me I am moved to be serving because it is a way of living out the love inside of me.  When I was concerning myself with serving because it was what was expected or would make me okay I was looking to get something from those I served, even if I was not conscious of it.  Being serving is about living out the truth of who we are in God.  The funny thing is we think we have to wait to feel it.  The reality is we are always completely and totally loved by God.  There is no time when we are not.  Sometimes when we are serving others and we experience the love within us being shared with others we come to a recognition of how much we are loved.  We are touched in our own hearts when we connect with others.  It is not about waiting until we feel it. It is about doing the action of serving and trusting it is within us to do, but not so that those we serve will say we are good.  They may in their appreciation but the idea is not to do it just because of the response.  True serving is freely given.