During the American Revolution a man in civilian clothes rode past a group of soldiers repairing a small defensive barrier. Their leader was shouting instructions, but making no attempt to help them. Asked why by the rider, he retorted with great dignity, "Sir, I am a corporal!" The stranger apologized, dismounted, and proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers. The job done, he turned to the corporal and said, "Mr. Corporal, next time you have a job like this and not enough men to do it, go to your commander-in-chief, and I will come and help you again." It was none other than George Washington.
Story has it that William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, once was supposed to speak at a convention and was unable to make it at the last minute because of illness. So he wired his message through telegraph, a single word, "OTHERS." The Salvation Army is founded on the principle of giving a heart to God and a hand to man. It is, at its core, based on service for God because of God's love for us and God's love for the world around us. Recently my youth group got to experience a little of what that means...we took a 9 hour shift ringing bells on a COLD December Saturday at a local department store, as a part of their kettle drives, during which something like 2/3 of all of their funding for the course of a year is raised. We raised about $500, which they said was really good. It was a joy helping them out, and watching our 20 or so LFBC youth and youth workers who helped that day, brought joy to my heart. I love watching, and being with, students as they serve. See, if you didn't realize it...students are labeled typically as apathetic, lazy, self-centered, concerned only with temporary happiness for themselves without much thought to God or others around them. A lot of that stereotype is justified...although it's really only a microcosm of the selfishness and apathy of adults and society as a whole, right?
Over the past 5 years or so, we have slowly worked towards becoming a more others-centered group. We have a long ways to go, but several times a year, we get to experience some incredible service opportunities. The biggies have been our youth mission trips...to Monroe, Nashville, Waco, Baltimore, Arlington and (2011) Houston. There have been state ministry opportunities in Jonesboro, Pine Bluff and Helena. There have been summer week-long local community missions experiences at the Salvation Army, Main Street Mission, a retirement home, and passing out water bottles at local parks and walking trails, as well as service projects raking leaves and doing other outside things for mostly elderly people in our church. Our church has started a "Hands Ministry" where Sunday school classes and other groups of church members find needs and go out and meet them. It is wonderful to be a part of all of this and to see a group get excited about getting outside of their own box and their own selves and doing something for God and for others.
Rick Warren once said, "We are never more like Jesus than when we are serving others." I believe it was he who also said that a non-serving Christian is an oxymoron. Jesus said that the most important thing in the world is to fall madly crazy in love with God, and the second is that from that love, we learn to love our neighbor as ourselves. From my bell-ringing a couple of weeks ago, and from our experiences with them over the past two summers and also on a couple of out of state mission trips, I know the men and women of the Salvation Army have taken Mr Booth's words to heart, and truly live with a heart to God and a hand to man and for others. As we head towards Christmas and into beginning a new year, may we determine in our hearts to see the world through Jesus' eyes. May we look expectantly for opportunities to serve Him, in big and small ways alike. And may we become more consumed with Him, and with others, than with the little bubble of self-importance we place around ourselves.
Soundtrack for a note: Mumford and Sons Sigh No More album, and The Hotshot Freight Train The Devil Pays in Counterfeit album
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