The Heart of it

It is always a privilege to be tapped for service. I always think of it as an opportunity to give back to the community – to have a sense of purpose and live not just for yourself but for others as well.

 

In our last SFC activity – our Covenant Orientation Weekend, I was tapped to be part of the food committee tasked to prepare physical sustenance for the confirmed 41 participants and 20 service team members. The one day and a half activity required us to prepare 2 set of snacks, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

I was honestly overwhelmed by the task. The number of attendees and the amount of food we are to prepare in such short window of time (as we all have work) gave me the nerves. The wheels in my mind began turning – thinking of possible suggestions at how we can tweak the menu a bit to make the cooking easier without sacrificing taste and quality and shorten the preparation process to fit into our timeframe so that we can assist on other tasks and have time to listen to the talks as well.

 

When D-day came I was frazzled. I was anxious and asked my teammates what I could do to have the preparations be well underway - they just told me to relax and take the tasks one step at a time. It made me relax and snap out of my anxiety. It was what I needed to remind me of what service was all about and as I watched the tilapia fry with a sianse on hand – I am reminded of the joy I feel whenever I cook and serve food for my family and friends.

 

Often times we get too focused on service that we forget that it is not an opportunity to show off but to humbly make use of our talents to help others…

 

… that it is a way for people to see Christ is us…

 

… that it is a chance for us to share His blessings and spread the goodness of our Lord…

 

… a chance to show and tell people how we are transformed by His love…

 

We focus too much on delivering and exceeding people’s expectations that we forget the very core – the very essence of service which is to give back the glory and praises to God…

 

The experience was quite humbling and I am thankful for the opportunity and with this I pray that I may never be lost in the frenzy of it all, I pray constant reminders and for purity of heart focused not on the act but on the core of service.

... and for all of this May God be Praised!!!