Ladies Corner
Serve With a Smile
We have all experienced bad service: the cashier who cannot force a smile, the sales associate hiding behind the mountain of merchandise when we need to ask directions, or the waitress who would rather be sitting at our table than serving it. There are many people in positions to serve, and although they may scan our groceries, quickly point to the left, or plop our plates on the table, the “service” they provide is obviously the last thing they actually want to be doing. Is our quality of service the same?
Like it or not, we are all servants. Whether it is an employer, customers, family, or country, our duty is to serve others. And serving others is part of serving our Savior.
As a homemaker and mother of two, I do not have what some would call an official job, but I certainly serve my family every day. I prepare meals they will enjoy, make sure they have clean clothes to wear, and try to create a comfortable, clean atmosphere in which to live. Though I manage to complete the countless duties required in a typical day, is there a smile on my face as I bring dinner to the table, a tune I hum while putting away laundry, and laughter while working and playing together in our home? I pray that as I help my children develop and provide what my family needs, my desire to serve them is evident by the joy their happiness brings to my life. The “virtuous wife” comes to mind as the perfect example of a woman who desires to serve her family:
She seeks wool and flax, and willingly works with her hands. ~Proverbs 31:13
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. ~Proverbs 31:26
These passages reveal a woman working with purpose while speaking with wisdom and kindness, the opposite of serving thoughtlessly, harshly, and only because she must. Can you imagine this woman complaining about her duties? Her selflessness is evident in every passage detailing her work, yet she receives praise from those who have had the pleasure of being around her diligent and gracious demeanor. With the right attitude, we too can willingly serve others and reap the reward of pleasing those whom we work so hard to serve!
The attitudes of humility and gratitude must also be taught to our children. If we complete our tasks cheerfully, we can expect the same from them, ultimately helping them become servants pleasing to God. However, if we complain about serving others, we can expect the same disappointing attitude from our children.
Paul reminds us that after being “set free from sin” we have “become slaves of God” (Romans 6:22). Our requirement to serve God is clear when we realize He is our Master and we are His servants. Failing to recognize our role as servants will result in selfish attitudes and questions like, “What about me?” and “Where is the recognition I deserve?” We begin ignoring our Christian responsibilities to fulfill selfish desires. We fail to check on sick brethren or prepare for Bible class because we “need” time for ourselves. Or, when we finally volunteer to help others, we gripe about working, and afterward wait for a pat on the back. While many see the role of serving as degrading, Christians should view servitude in the same way as Jesus, as our duty.
“And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’” ~Luke 17:7-10
We are not greater than our Master, but rather unprofitable servants. Therefore, we serve because it is our duty, not because we desire recognition!
Just as the service provided by a cashier represents her commitment to her employer, our attitude about serving others reflects how we feel about serving God. Realizing the price Christ paid for our freedom from sin will help us serve with the right attitude. We were not redeemed with things of the world, but with the blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). He willingly gave His life for us! Does our service to Him show gratitude, or do we grumble about work we are expected to accomplish? Do we view assembling with the saints as a privilege, or an unreasonable requirement? Are we submitting to His commands because we seek to please our Father, or to gain self-recognition and praise?
We can submit to God’s requirements with a grateful attitude by recognizing our role as servants and the many blessings He brings as our Master. Not only does our Lord promise to provide physical needs to sustain life, but also innumerable spiritual blessings, even the blessing of eternal life. Again in Romans 6, Paul explains that “…fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life” are blessings of becoming slaves to God (Romans 6:22). Knowing this should motivate us to serve with a smile!
