Reframing Our Idea of Service
So often when we think about service, we think of the use of our hands, the things we do. Serving with our hands holds incredible value and benefit for those around us. I would like to challenge you to think about service with the use of your heart. When we allow the stories and struggles of others to become a part of our service journey, the greatest joy can be found. When we open our hearts, not just our hands, we are leaving others changed by our presence. We are who we are today because of the influence of others who have poured into each of us. So how do we give back and do the same?
Serving with your heart and making a conscious decision to connect to the stories and struggles of another is also the highest form of leadership. I would argue leadership is nothing more than influence. It's how you make others feel in your presence. I want to invite you to think of a leader in your life that you admired and use one word to describe how they made you feel in their presence. It’s the conscious decision to make your life more about others than it is about yourself. It’s recognizing the fullness of your life comes from sharing it with others. What a privilege it is to play a part in the story of someone’s life.
Why is this such a shift than how we traditionally think about service?
Opening your heart to serve others requires large amounts of courage and vulnerability. Oftentimes we find ourselves in the lie of perfection, wiht thoughts like - “What do I have to give?”, “When I accomplish this next thing, then maybe I will have more to offer.”, “I don’t have it all figured out so what must I have to offer?”, or “I don’t have the experience needed to make a difference yet.” We find ourselves doubting our self-worth based on our number of accomplishments, accolades, or experiences.
Don’t allow your self worth to be measured by outcomes. There is great danger when we allow our self-concept to be driven by the things we accomplish. Rather, allow it to be measured by the hearts you touch.
Our society tells us a different story. We live in the age of the selfie. We live in the age of self-promotion and self-preservation. We are evaluated by the achievements and outcomes of ourselves and our families. In our need for affirmation and acceptance, oftentimes our instagram and facebook feeds are of these very achievements and outcomes that society tells us are most valuable.
What if we spent our time looking at the feeds of service to others and this was celebrated as much as outcomes. Imagine that world?
Don’t ever walk away from an opportunity to connect and serve with your heart because you think you don't have what it takes to give.
Not only is sharing your heart going to change and enrich the lives of others, you will find you are forever changed by the stories of those you let into your life and your heart.