Caring

Welcome to Service – The Action Form of Love.

Here we are on another Monday.

Many of us spend the morning rushing to get ready for school or work or to stay home and take care of the home. We have doctor appointments, haircuts, got to get the kids off to school.

In short, Monday is often our most hectic day of the week.

So, since neither of us has a lot of time to spend here, I’m putting today’s small and simple service challenge right here:

Today, care.

We ask so much from so many. Even our prayers can sound like a pizza delivery order, telling God what we want and need, but not bothering to thank Him for all He’s done. We just place the order, and hang up the phone and… wait.

Today, find someone you ask a lot of. It could be an assistant, it could be someone in your family or religious organization.

Then, when you’ve identified them, shock them.

Ask what you can do for them. Wait for their response. Let them know you’re serious.

And then, of course, help them.

That’s all there is to it!

Please feel free to share this however you can.

Oh, and if there’s something I can do for you, please let me know.

Remember, Service is the Action Form of Love.

James

Be There

The other morning, my wife and I were taking a walk and watched as a woman burst out of her apartment, ran to her car, and sped off. She was in her work uniform, so we could only surmise that she was running late for work.

Watching this event prompted some questions and thoughts in my mind.
Could she not get up on time that morning?

Did she not have time to prepare to be where she knew she needed to be when she needed to be there?

And, thinking about all of us, are we willing to only run when we’re late for a boss who pays us and has the power to discipline us and terminate our employment if we’re late?

What about our other relationships? What do we do when we’re running late for a family event, a date, or even just to meet someone we’d told we’d meet? Do we run then, or do we take our time because we know they can’t really “fire” us?

And, what about when someone needs our help?

How fast are we to act when we see a friend, a family member or even a stranger who needs our help? Do we run to help them?

Sometimes, I’m afraid, we’re only willing to run to work so we don’t get docked for tardiness, but we take a less urgent attitude towards others we know or who we know are in trouble.

Please don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying you shouldn’t take a lackadaisical attitude toward your job or toward your boss. Whether on salary or getting paid hourly or even as a consultant, you made a commitment to those who employ you. They certainly deserve your promptness and timeliness. You should be there when you agreed you’d be there. Nothing I say should give you any ideas to the contrary.

So, here’s your challenge for today:

If you’ve made a commitment to be somewhere today at a certain time, be there.

Do all you can to prepare all you need ahead of time so you don’t get caught unprepared at the last minute. Do what you need to do before you need to get out the door.

Also, if you see someone who needs your help, try and treat the situation as you would if they were your boss and you are expected to be on time. Rush to them, assess their needs and help them any way you can.

Helping and serving others sometimes requires our speed and efficiency. It us up to us, those who have the resources to give and to help, to reach out to those who do not.

Can you start today, right now, and make a commitment to all in your circle of friends, family, coworkers and associates to value their time as much as you value your own?

Can you remember today that someone needs your help, and they may need it quickly?

Can you respond to the needs of others with the same sense of urgency that those in need feel about the situation?

I know you can.

I know you will.

Why?

Because that’s the kind of person you are. You care about others. You value your time and you are learning to value the time of others.

Thank you so much for reading today’s challenge. I appreciate you, and I really do appreciate the few minutes you take out of your day to come to my blog an learn how to serve others.

Please feel free to share this post. You may Digg it, Stumble it, forward it in an email, retweet it or repost it on your Facebook wall.

You are awesome – you understand that Service is the Action Form of Love.

James

Reconcile

Welcome to Friday – our favorite day of the week!

Have you been weighed down by the conflicting emotions of wanting to forgive but not wanting to let go?

I’d like to tell you about a challenging experience I had to get through recently.

In my job as a customer service representative, I was asked to take on some additional responsibilities. It wasn’t a promotion. There was no extra money, just a sort of added title to go with more work.

I relished the challenge.

This new role required me to help supervise my team of workers. I was asked to help manage them, direct them, listen to them and answer their questions.

One of the people I now supervise apparently didn’t understand or appreciate my new role. I’m not sure if she felt she was better qualified, or just didn’t like the fact that I was now in a position to help the team step up to the plate and work a little harder and smarter. Whatever the reason, there was bitterness. It was immediate and fierce.

I began receiving replies to my team emails that were sarcastic in tone. I even received a message asking if I could have special priveleges because of my new responsibilities.

Whenever I passed by her, I got a cold, withering look from her.

She met with my supervisors to complain about me.

It got bad enough that I was losing sleep over it.

A lot of sleep.

Then, just as I was about at the point of giving in to my fears that I was the cause of the animosity, I received an email from her.

She apologized.

She asked for my forgiveness.

She asked if we could be friends.

She told me she hadn’t realized what my responsibilities entailed, and thought I was unfairly giving her extra work when I had no right do delegate tasks.

What would you do?

Would you forgive?

Would you question her motives?

Here’s today’s challenge:

If you’ve been weighed down by a situation where you’re wanting to forgive, but you’re just having a hard time deciding whether or not you can or should let it go –

Forgive.

Forget.

Let go.

It’s certainly not easy, especially considering all the negative emotions and energy that came before now, but hanging on to all of that is no way to live. It’s draining, and it’s likely affecting you much more than it is the other person or people involved.

You don’t have to be their best friend.

You can still be cautious.

You can still be careful.

But forgive.

Today.

No matter how long ago the incident happened. No matter who was right or wrong.

Just forgive.

Move forward.

Move on.

Let it go.

Find reconciliation with the peace you so badly want, even if you can’t reconcile with them.

A friend used the phrase, “water under the bridge” the other day.

The interesting thing about water under the bridge is that you don’t have to run downstream to watch and see what happens.

You can just… let it go and find peace and joy that comes with forgiveness.

Thank you for reading and accepting today’s challenge. Thank you also for being willing to pass it on to others.

Remember, Service is the Action form of Love.

James

No Glamor

It’s Service Thursday again.

Today let’s talk about glamorous service – a topic a friend suggested we discuss.

You know what I’m talking about – the kind of service that takes you far away, to other places. Feeding orphans in third-world countries. Building schools. Joining the Peace Corps.

These things are wonderful ways to serve others. Such service is fulfilling and very self-rewarding, not to mention what the beneficiaries of such service get out of it.

Why am I talking about glamorous service?

Am I going to challenge you to book a trip to Kenya?

No. Not at all.

I bring it up because sometimes when we think we want to have an impact on the world, we think about doing something really big and important.

But, you know what?

You can do something big. You can do something important. You can even do it close to home and still make a very positive impact on the world.

You can even do something small and important. Small and simple service is – well – small and simple.

Stop and think for a moment. Who is in your neighborhood? Who lives across the street? Who works down the block? Who moved in around the corner from you? Who is a single mom that needs some down time?

Could they use your help?

Would they appreciate someone coming over to just say hello? Could you take some fresh-baked bread? How about a plate of store-bought cookies? While you’re there, could you maybe offer to help rake their leaves?

Could they use a hand with a broken fence? Would they appreciate an invitation to Sunday dinner with you and your family? How about just sending over your favorite dish for their Sunday dinner?

Can you find someone to serve this week who lives near you? Can you encourage your family or close friends to help you? Can you do it without making the served feel like they are a service project?

Is there a woman’s shelter or homeless shelter in your vicinity? Can you and your friends or family gather used clothing, books and kitchenware to donate?

Remember, service doesn’t need to be glamorous. In fact, when it is, it often draws attention to the one serving.

Can you serve without glamour?

Can you serve without fanfare?

Can you think of some other small and simple way to serve your neighbors?

I bet you can.

I know you can.

How do I know?

Because the people who read this are good people. You like taking care of each other. You know that you don’t need recognition or awards or fanfare to do something nice.

You just do it.

Because it’s the right thing to do.

And for that, I thank you – sincerely.

As always, please pass it on.

James