{Whew…I’m getting pretty humble up in here today…sharing my flaws with ya’ll.}
I wish it weren’t so, but sometimes when I serve others, I consider how great it’s going to make me look.
It’s not intentional, I never consciously aim to do that.
But a few years ago, upon some deep reflection, I realized I often want people to know all the ways I serve others.
Yeah, that’s me… this approval seeking, people pleasing lady.
Blame it on the middle child syndrome, but all I want is for other people to like me.
And you know what, they probably do already…so why am I going out of my way to blatantly seek it?
And if they don’t, then who cares???
I remember Anah who sat beside me for years.
Us young twenty year olds, crammed into a much too small cubicle, making way too many cold calls.
One day she shared how each evening she made her husband an amazing sandwich when he got off work.
The sandwich sounded like a creation worthy of Dagworth’s fame in Blondie.
The awe inspiring part of her story was that Anah made the sandwich as an act of true love.
You could just tell. It wasn’t for her husband’s praise. She didn’t tell me so I would think she was a great wife.
We just happened to be talking about her husband having to work late and as a consequence he didn’t really eat dinner. Thus, she made him something really special every evening. I’ll never forget the smile on her face when she talked about making it. She delighted in doing such a mundane task and filling that work with an abundance of joy.
Her serving was simply an outpouring of the love she had towards her husband.
When we serve others with a gracious heart we aren’t focused on the accolades or the recognition. I’m reminded in Anah’s story that a serving heart is most often found in the mundane, in the small tasks we do every single day that never receive a thank you or praise.
And I pray, that as I grow older and wiser, my heart will be more content to serve without being seen.
{Day 22 of the #write31days challenge. I’m writing all about A Servant’s Heart, the series list can be found here.}