Service: The Best Medicine For Life

Service: The Best Medicine For Life
By Lori Ennis

“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4

When you feel down, depressed or broken, the last thing you may want to do is serve others. Sometimes life feels like it’s an act of Congress to simply breathe, much less think about how to look out for the interests of others and serve them in any capacity.
Yet, that’s exactly what we’re called to do…and with good reason. Study after study after study shows that volunteering or serving others brings about increased rates of happiness, mental well-being and outright joy.
Even (and maybe especially) in your darkest times.

After our son died, my husband and I attended a retreat held by the incredible Nancy Guthrie and her husband. It was a retreat for parents who’d lost children and over and over, we heard the theme of ‘service’ come through loud and clear as a way to nurse a grieving heart.

It seems counter-intuitive…you’re broken and barely able to fill your own cup but somehow, you’re supposed to get it together to serve others?

The thing is–that’s just what Jesus wants of us. Serving others IS counterintuitive, especially in this day and age where it’s “all about me.” The world would have you indulge in what makes YOU happy, and let others tend figure out how to do life themselves.

But Jesus…Jesus tells us to turn to HIM. To take HIS yoke when we don’t have the energy or desire to serve others and find our rest and our Peace and our energy in Him.

Because the truth is…when we serve others…especially when it’s sacrificially…we honor the service that God humbled Himself to on the cross. In this way, we bring Him glory.
Jesus calls us to be servants…He knew that dying to one’s self meant true life in HIM and He wants that JOY for us. Of all the humans on the earth, He’d be the one you’d expect to be most served; but even in His last hours, as He faced the most excruciating humiliation and pain to come, He showed His disciples what service looked like by washing their feet.

If you’re feeling weary, I’d challenge you to find a place you could serve someone else. Maybe it’s temporary; maybe it becomes part of your daily life. But no matter what, when you put others’ interests ahead of yours…you’ll experience a supernatural joy that comes only from Jesus. You might even find that you can’t get ENOUGH of serving!