Today I was blessed with the opportunity to give. During a hectic season where I often find
myself thinking way too much about myself and the things I want, I was reminded
that life is not all about me.
I went to a place called The Daily Bread. The Daily Bread is open every day of the week
for lunch. Those who need a meal are
welcomed in and served some delicious food.
Today, I was able to serve them.
I happen to work for an amazing company that loves giving back to the
community. Two of us went to The Daily
Bread instead of work for a portion of the day.
I was quickly reminded of how much I have to be thankful for! I loved having an opportunity to reach out to
people.
I met people today who I will never forget. I tried to learn as many names as I could so
when I go back I can use their names.
This is so important to me. I
know how special I feel when someone remembers my name, especially if we have
only met once. I want the people I met
today to feel special. I want them to
feel that they have value and that they are important.
One woman I met today was named April. I wish I knew more of her story. I hope to see her again next week. I went to refill her drink and she said,
“Excuse me. Where does your joy come
from?” I was completely caught off
guard. No one had spoken more than a
thank you or telling me what he or she wanted to eat until this point. I took the opportunity to tell her I am a
Christian and that I have Jesus in my heart.
We talked briefly for a few minutes.
I wish I had had more time, but maybe I will one day. She nodded to everything I said with a
smile. Then before she left she walked
over to me to say goodbye. She looked me
right in the eye and said words that went right to my heart, “Whatever you do
for the least of these, you have done for me”.
And she walked away. Tears filled
my eyes. I silently thanked the Lord for
this reminder. This was a beautiful moment that changed my
perspective. Suddenly, I felt more
blessed by the people I was serving than I imagine they felt by me serving
them. That was unexpected and so
humbling.
Today was a great day!
Today opened my eyes to things I have never seen. Today reminded me of how important it is to move
outside of my bubble. There are so many
people who have needs. Today reminded
me, I can meet some of those needs. I
can be the light in someone’s day. I can
be someone who makes a difference in people’s lives. I can show love to people who feel
unlovable. I can go out there and make a
difference. That’s what we are here to
do. It’s easy to get caught up in my
life and what I need and want. It’s much
harder to remember other people and to take opportunities to make a difference
in other peoples’ lives. It can be as
simple as a kind gesture. There are so
many ways I can change peoples’ lives.
I’m going to start taking advantage of those opportunities at all
costs. I’m choosing today to start doing
things that matter.
Bob Goff said something in his book Love Does that has
really resonated with me. He stated, “I
used to be afraid of failing at something that really mattered to me, but now
I’m more afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter”. Those are seriously powerful and
thought-provoking words. I have battled
with this for a while now. I have
questioned my purpose at my current job.
I know I love what I do and I’m successful doing what I do, but I didn’t
feel like it mattered. I didn’t feel I
was making any kind of a difference. But
you know what, I’m here for a reason.
Instead of constantly questioning what I’m doing here, I’m going to be
looking for opportunities to serve the Lord where I’m at. While I may not do this forever, I’m here for
a reason now. There are plenty of
opportunities where I am as well as opportunities outside of work that I can be
looking for. For now, I trust that God
has me where I need to be. When He sees
fit to move me to something else, He will.
Until then, I’m going to find opportunities to serve Him right here,
right now. For too long I have been
focused on succeeding at my career.
That’s not what it’s about. I
want to succeed at what matters. That
can happen while I’m in my career though.
I think what this comes down to is where my focus is. Is my focus on serving Christ at all costs or
is my focus being successful at my job?
I know where I want my focus to be and I think that is going to come
down to a daily choice. Each day when I
get up, I am choosing where my focus will go.
Today has changed my perspective for the better. I hope to always remember what I learned
today. I plan to continue serving at The
Daily Bread. I’m excited to see the
opportunities God opens up for me while there.
