You Are Designed To Serve!

Some of us are so focused on what we can do for others that we neglect our own needs. Others are so zeroed in on how others can meet their needs that theycare for no one but themselves. Is there a healthy balance between these two perspectives?

In today's excerpt from my upcoming hardcover book Intelligence For Your Life: Powerful Lessons for Personal Growth, you'll discover a new stability that will empower you to give to others while also finding lasting meaning for yourself.

I grew up in a household that was very performance-oriented. My dad was vice president of Hanes, my mom was a registered nurse. Our house was driven by report cards, piano recitals, Boy Scout merit badges and the pride of brand-new aluminum siding. My dad, John Sr., was a self-made man who commanded troops in Okinawa in World War II. He grew up on a farm, and with no college education he rose to the top and bought his family a home in prestigious Garden City on Long Island. Our success as a family and personally was measured in dollars and cents and wall plaques.

Then there was the other side of the family—our cousins from North Carolina who served in Liberia with the Peace Corps. I actually remember a few dinner conversations when they were referred to as the “hippies” of the family. I suspect that the unspoken opinion amongst our family was that they joined the Peace Corps because they couldn’t get a job. I carried that ridiculous mantra in my heart for most of my life.

But what I now recall is that Don, Joy, and Leslie Tesh were some of the happiest people I knew. They always had time to speak with me as a little kid. They seemed so relaxed and content. And they had amazing stories to tell about digging wells and creating gardens and building homes for people a world away who had none of these things. Up until then the only mission lesson I had received was at our dinner table, “Clean your plate . . . people in Africa are starving.”  The fact is that we were designed to serve. God planted in us a conscience and a desire to love others. But somewhere along the way the world grabs hold of us and our hearts grow selfish. Mine sure did. The aha moment for me did not come until someone handed me Rick Warren’s Purpose-Driven Life. This book is basically the rudder that began to steer my ship. It is, of course, rife with scripture but it also contains brilliant how-to chapters that spell it all out—just the way a guy needs it.

Soon I was reading every thing I could find on mission trips and service. Our researchers on the radio show found hundreds of studies on the power of serving others and its effect on blood pressure, longevity, and even business growth. We broadcast reports from respected learning institutions on how volunteerism helps people live longer and have stronger immune systems, fewer heart attacks, higher self-esteem, and a deeper sense of purpose in their lives. We also uncovered many studies showing that businesses with a culture of volunteerism grow faster, keep their employees longer, and form stronger relationships with their key business partners.

It’s not all about building stuff or traveling to foreign countries. Can you read aloud? Do you have a car? Can you cook, plant a garden, do card tricks, play an instrument? Do you have a cute dog or a child who plays the violin? There are people who can use your help within a five-mile radius of where you are standing right now.

So don’t over-think this. If you do, you’ll think the life out of it. Go with your heart. Go to your bathroom mirror right now and do what I did. Write in black magic marker: “Today I will make a plan to serve others.” It will take more effort to wash it off than it will to make a phone call or surf the web and find out how to make it happen.

John
Email John: johnsblog@teshmedia.com

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Comments

[Samuel J. Brunt]

I listen to your radio broadcast at nights on 101.5 FM in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale.

I just read your article dated January 23, 2008. "You Are Designed to Serve," It is a confirmation to me that I am on the right track with my service to others. In addition to owning a small, yet growing business, I also work as a night construction superintendent at a busy airport. There is not a night that goes by that I do not help someone. I like to tell people that we are here to serve others. It may be something as simple as holding a door open, volunteering to carry someone's luggage, helping subcontractors with their work, providing directions to travelers...I have also bought someone food - someone who missed a connecting flight and had to wait in the airport all night. One night I was walking through a terminal lobby and I saw an older woman trying to be comfortable in a wheel chair. She was not disabled, but she had to wait a while for her ride. I told her about some big, comfortable leather sofas upstairs in the same terminal, and helped her up there with her luggage. As I was walking away, she yelled out, "Your mother sure raised you well...and you tell her I said so, here." I wasn't expecting any praise - I just wanted her to be comfortable. One night last week, three women had to wait in the airport all night because their destination flight was cancelled due to a snow storm. They were shocked that I took them to my office at the airport so that they could use my computer to get good rates on line for a hotel room and rental car - since they had to make alternate arrangements. What amazes me is the fact that many people are shocked when offered help by a stranger with no strings attached.

Your radio program is a ministry that serves its listeners well. Keep up the good work!