“But I could do so much more.”
As we sat in my room the first night we served in Israel, we reflected on the day. After training, we slowly eased into serving and primarily painted murals on preschool walls. It was the simple kind of painting…sort of like paint by numbers. The artist mixed the colors and told us where to paint.
We were minions.
But not really.
Once someone make the comment, “But I could do so much more,” there was a brief pause before the discussion of other perspectives began. We talked about what joy the colorful walls would bring to the teachers and young children for years to come. We talked about how closely we were able to serve among the school staff and children, which meant they would see our sacrifice. They would notice our attitudes and joy as we served. Maybe we weren’t minions after all. When we thought about the responsibility of serving in God’s name, we felt honored and humbled.
We often think we can do “more,” but what if the “more” is in the service we’re facing right now? How often do we miss out on the impact we can have with what is right in front of us because we think of other opportunities?
We want to be important, but God wants us to be willing. What seems important to us doesn’t usually match God’s criteria for importance. We do what is most important when we focus on knowing and serving God.
Maybe you think you could do more, but are you pouring your everything into what is right in front of you? It’s what God is giving you today. When you serve Him well, your efforts are multiplied through Him. You may never know the ripples effects of your sacrifice, but you can be certain God will use your humble willingness beyond your imagination and beyond your understanding.
Serve Him well. Give Him your all. It’s the most you can do.
Such an important concept! For years I struggled with the same thing. I wanted to serve — and serve a lot — but God pretty clearly told me that my role was “to be available”. After a while I realized that what felt like laziness and not serving anywhere (my definition), someone told me that Jesus did his best work when we was just walking from town to town. He was available for any need that appeared along the way. As a caretaker and mom, it gets frustrating not to be able to plan my day and serve in official ministries, but I try to remember that being available IS my job and sometimes I’m the only one who can minister at a particular moment by doing mundane things like driving to doctors appointments, taking forgotten things to school, and helping others with daily chores.
Yes, Susan! As a stay-at-home mom for years, I struggled, too. I think struggling to “be available” is more common than feeling settled and worthwhile where we’re serving…but that’s not what we see (or imagine we see) in others. But let’s change that, one person, one choice at a time! Have a great day being available!