What it means to serve.........

 The concept of service seems to be a topic discussed in many different areas around us.  From politicians to businesses to churches, we hear promises and proclamations of service almost daily.  But what does true service look like?  Have you ever seen it? For a number of years, God allowed me to catch a glimpse of true servanthood through watching my mom.  Most of my childhood was spent in poverty and uncertainty about what the future held.  As long as I can remember, my mom worked at least two jobs and one of them was almost always waiting tables.  As soon as I became old enough to work, I took a job washing dishes in a local restaurant where she was a waitress.  Day after day I saw my mom serve people, some she knew and some she did not.  She carried heavy trays in the midst of crowded rooms and remembered the requests of those she served.   I remember her uniform stained with the results of cleaning up what others left behind.  Some stains were easily removed but many were not so easy to erase.   I saw her put forth great efforts for little reward.  Often the people who made the biggest messes left the smallest tips.  I saw her treated rudely and then go to the next table with a smile because that was her job.  Many would look at my mom and say she should have done better with her life maybe better educated herself that she could have done more in life.  I would say my mom was right where she was supposed to be, because standing in the back room washing dishes – her little boy was watching.

Jesus Christ has called us to be servants.  The role of servant is more than a catch-phrase or some wordage we put on a banner.  We must be willing to invest in people and in the process, accept the consequences of doing so.

Eric Hammond