Issues and Serving

The issues appear to pile up.

The bills mount, the debts increase, the arguments multiply as do the headaches. You could do with a break. Even on holidays the time away from work only shows that there’s a need to work to pay off what it took to get to this holiday never mind what was spent on the holiday. Yet there seems to be no break in sight.

You don’t want to be a burden to anyone about it, but this becomes a bigger burden with every passing day. There’s little point complaining about how much you get paid because that won’t go up any time soon. The burdens get heavier, but you can’t let anyone down. You could do with that break. Yet there seems to be no break in sight.

As you struggle and you notice some others around you seeing to struggle as well, there is someone you notice who does not appear to be struggling as much. They don’t appear to be that much better off in terms of the job status and therefore the income stream, but their entire demeanour just appears to be more relaxed and at rest than you what is their secret? How do they do that?

What she tells you makes you stop in your tracks.

“While others were looking for a breakthrough, I discovered that God was looking for someone to work through. When I made myself available for Him to work through, He then brought about my own breakthrough.”

She talked a bit more after that – but what she said here in particular was arresting. It never occurred to you that rather than looking for something or someone to solve your problems, you look to be available to be the solution to the problems of others. Your problems were consuming enough for you and though you care for others on the surface, you felt justified to not have the time.

Thinking through it, again, you were struck by the idea of being available.That would be at a cost to you – cost of time and energy. Sacrifices would have to be made from your current schedule. What could you shift around? Did that mean you’d have to wake up a little earlier? Did it mean you wouldn’t be able to amuse yourself as much with the things you watched on the various media outlets? But you need that to help you chill out from all the stress, no?

The internal wrangling was real. The cost looked more significant the more you looked at it. Yet there was also that gnawing in you that the definition of madness was doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. Some change would have to be made. Something would have to give in terms of your usual agenda. It couldn’t be a one-off thing, either – somehow this would have to become habitual if we wanted to see the change.

Then there was the issue of what was it to be available to be the solution to the problems of others? How could that work? You hardly any money, you didn’t have all the resources that others had – what did you have to offer? Did you have anything to offer?

Even there, though, little hints dropped by your family and friends got you thinking. They mentioned some of the skills and abilities you practiced that you didn’t pay attention to. Some of those things required minimal equipment and yet could make a substantial difference in meeting the needs of others.

Time was no excuse. Resources and abilities were no excuse.

It was now just a matter of opportunity – how being available could translate itself to being enabled in the service.

It was no overnight success. It didn’t happen first time. And because it didn’t there was every excuse to slip back to what was your norm. this couldn’t happen, though. Not if there was a chance for circumstances to be radically transformed. Persistence was required. Not easy at first, but made possible thanks to encouragement.

The biggest thing was the mind-set shifting from self to the other. Being available to be of service to the other. Seeking and pursuing the best for the other. Taking pleasure in serving and seeing the needs of the others met. Being delighted to witness the challenges of the others being overcome.

Turning the initial efforts into something on a more intentional and habitual level took a while, but once it got going and you became familiar with the bumps in the road as well as the small victories you didn’t notice what else was happening. Your focus on the others and being a blessing to them for their benefit also wound up with some of the issues being addressed.

Sometimes from the most unusual sources. You would help someone out on a matter and they would turn around and show how they were an expert in an area of your need. Not only were you able to receive their service, but more importantly you were given good techniques, tips, tactics and tools that equipped you to improve in what you offered. This brought about progress to address what had appeared to be an insurmountable mountain of issues.

It was for others to notice later how you appeared to be a lot more relaxed at work. They were wondering what brought about the change in your demeanour.

It was no longer the issues piling up – it was opportunities.

(Photo by Becca Tapert on Unsplash)

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden