I believe willingness, humility, and obedience is
critical for a heart to Service.
Any act that is done without willingness, humility,
and obedience, is not Service but performance, a routine action, a show-off,
another box ticked.
Willingness is a decision we have to make. Doing
something unwillingly though sometimes that is always the case may not give us
much joy and satisfaction. But if we can find a way to do something willingly,
we find joy, happiness, and meaning that is beyond this world's comprehension.
Service offered in humility is true Service. Anything
done contrary to this hurts the recipient as much as it doesn't in any way
benefit the performer of the act. Humility is in most cases misunderstood and
taken for granted. It doesn't mean someone is a doormat; it means valuing
others around you. It means not seeing yourself as more important than those
around you. A
humble person is one who is more interested in others than in themselves.
She/he isn't more about their ego. Someone who is about the greater good rather
than their own needs. Someone who recognizes that which is true, God is God,
and I am not God, and that's who I am, and if he gave me a skill, he gave me a
skill if he didn't, he didn't. Humility isn't thinking less about yourself but
is thinking about yourself less — not a lack of self-confidence.
Obedience is key. We all have the freedom to obey or
disobey. We are told that's it's more beneficial to obey than to sacrifice.
Some of us might look like we are obeying, but genuinely we are not. We are
simply complying. Maybe our environment doesn't encourage the spirit of
obedience. A worst-case scenario for this is disobedience; rebellion. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and arrogance
like the evil of idolatry. Some of us are generally rebellious in everything. I
personally have tendencies of rebellion. It’s however important to note that we
don’t have to say YES to everything and anything that is brought our way. God
has given us a mind, and we have been wisely blessed so that we can know that
which is to be obeyed and maybe not obeyed. The question is how many times do
you always disobey something simply because you don't like the person saying
it, or the way it's said, or you have your own, or you don't see how you
benefit from it. What makes you justify your disobedience in some cases? You
might be wondering then what is the meaning of obedience. Well, the basic
dictionary definition I just googled is compliance
with an order, request, or law or submission to another's authority. But I
believe it goes deeper than that, to be engaged and fully be part of something
that you have agreed with others or God has revealed to you that you need to
do. Something that has been clearly defined as a way of life and that needs to
be done for the highest possible good of those around you.
We are called to serve each other,
whether at home; family, teams you are engaged within something, organization
or community. As a husband and a father, I need to serve my wife and my two
boys. The only way to really find this life meaningful is if you offer yourself
to serve others. No matter what level of engagement. This could be through
doing something for others, speaking on behalf of others, standing in the gap
for others, representing others in spaces where they probably are not able to,
etc. Service to mankind in whatever form is Service to God. Any service I
willingly offer in humility and obedience to my wife and sons is to God. You
can't claim to serve God if you are not serving those around you, humanity. As
much as we all want to be served and fill nice when someone serves us, we ought
to serve willingly, with great humility and in obedience.
In Africa Youth Leadership Forum, AYLF,
we are committed to raising up people who will serve others in different
spheres of influence. Our work with young leaders is to help them realize that
they ought to give up themselves in service for others. Serve the least of
these in their communities. This is what we mean when we say we are nurturing a
new breed of leaders; a new breed of people who commit to truly serve those
around them. Serve with willingness, humility and in obedience.
If
this resonates with you, seek to genuinely serve. Look for a small community of
friends who you can do this together with. Being
accountable to a few and practicing with a few. It's about building a community
of friends to share each other's journey of serving those around you willingly, in humility and obedience. You have to be deeply committed to each other
and desire to see each other grow in this journey. You have to create a
support, encouragement and accountability platform for each other. The
community has to be as small as possible so that there is active engagement by
all involved.
Find a community around you and see if these
conversations make sense to you.
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