In my last entry in the Devotions series, I talked about service or being a servant to others. I wanted to use that blog as a jumping block for this series over how we can be servants to others. First, I want to talk about serving our family.
Our families are sometimes the easiest people to serve and sometimes our families are the hardest people to serve. It seems like when we serve our families there is less recognition or thankfulness from our family members because they expect each person in the family to help out. It is important to remember we do not serve in order to be served by others or to receive recognition from man, but rather to be servants of God.
Below I have listed a few ways we can serve our families.
- Volunteer to do chores around the house without being asked to AND without putting on a show. Almost everyone hates doing the things which must be done in order to live in a fairly put-together home. I know I dislike doing many of those things and often my home suffers for it. But what if you simply went about your business cleaning up the dishes, folding a load of laundry, or taking out the trash without saying anything to anyone? What kind of impact would that have on your family?
- Cook breakfast, lunch, or dinner for your family. I know I might be preaching to the choir when I mention things like doing chores or cooking meals, but it is still a form of service, even if it is something you do everyday. Sometimes I get down on myself when I am the only one doing the laundry or perhaps cooking a meal (although my husband does help out!). However, I should not swim in pity, but rather have joy that I can serve my family.
- Help someone in your family out with whatever task they need help with. If they need help with a school project, help them. If they need help typing a proposal for work, help them. If they need help building a castle out of Legos, help them. I know that these are all things we all probably do anyway, but through these actions we are serving our families.
What other ways do you serve your family?