The Right Way to Serve

 

 

Last Saturday started out fine in the morning, with a carefully organized schedule so that there would be time to spend in Bible reading and prayer before going grocery shopping. My friend, Chelsea Rose was coming over later that afternoon.

Things became a little more hectic when Al and I returned from shopping about an hour later than had originally been planned. With Chelsea Rose’s visit in thirty minutes, I hurried to put away the groceries.

There was a surprise when I reached under the sink to put away some supplies. The day prior to that, a water filter had been installed under the sink. Evidently water had been dripping from a fixture on the cold water pipe all night long. Rolls of paper towels inadvertently stored upside down on the bottom of the cabinet did what they were supposed to do—absorbed all of the water!

The paper towels prevented a lake from forming underneath the sink, a blessing that I didn’t realize until later.  I dragged out the soggy rolls and made a quick call to the person responsible for working on the filter. He apologized, but was out of town for the weekend. He was going to try to contact his construction partner to come over and fix the leak.

In the meantime, Chelsea Rose texted saying that she was going to be delayed about an hour and wondered if I wanted to reschedule our meeting! I told her it would be fine to come later, hoping to have time to clean up the mess and eat lunch.

By that time, I was frustrated, hungry and tired. Something had to be done with the paper towels. Thinking they might be salvageable, I squeezed as much water out as possible and stuck them on the end stakes of a flexible tomato cage, hoping the sun would dry them out.

Just after doing that, Dan, the construction worker arrived, ready to fix the leak. He had to turn off three valves under the sink, cutting off the water from that location. Soon he discovered that the fixture on the pipe wasn’t fitting correctly, and went to the store to buy another one.

 Al and I were finally were able to eat. There was a lull in activity so that I could breathe out the frustration I had been feeling and ask the Lord to help me calm down before Chelsea Rose’s arrival.

While Dan resumed his work in the kitchen, she and I sat outside at the patio table for a time of conversation and prayer. I told her about the unexpected events of the day, and how frustrated I had been.

 Chelsea Rose understood, having spent the previous day on a disaster relief effort in Detroit, helping three homeowners still recovering from flood damage earlier this year. Her team of volunteers worked outdoors in the heat most of the day, without any convenient bathroom access. Serving the Lord the right way, whether at home, at work, or on the mission field is not always easy!

We talked about Jesus’ temptation after He had been alone, fasting in the wilderness for 40 days and nights. Most likely, Jesus was dirty, exhausted and famished. Although He could have easily provided Himself with abundant lodging, food and drink, Jesus didn’t give in to any of Satan’s temptations. He had a mission to fulfill—the salvation of all mankind. Nothing could distract or prevent Him from accomplishing it.

And my mission? To follow Jesus’ example of loving and serving others. Of course, Satan knows when I am most vulnerable to losing control of my emotions. Serving as Christ served however, often involves setting aside my own needs for a time. Incidentally, with our record heat, the paper towels did dry out!

The Lord who calls us to serve will give us the grace needed as we trust in Him.

 “Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat?’ Would he not rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink’? Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?” Luke 17:7-9 NIV

“For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life for many.” Mark 10:46 NIV