living
I think we have misconstrued the idea of serving to the point where I would venture to say that we have completely perverted it. We no longer serve with our bodies, but instead serve in scheduled time increments that will fit neatly in our "Good Deeds" box.
Do you think that God is satisfied with our monthly church outings to the nearest homeless shelter? Or our missions trips designed to force feed starving children the Bread of Life before an actual piece of bread? Or our sympathetic prayers for the man on the street as we head on to the supermarket?
Maybe it's the pressure of service being preached from the pulpit that makes us dread and distort it so much. What's your first reaction when you hear your pastor say "next week there won't be any church because instead, we'll be heading out into our community to help serve those in need!" Yeah, I heard that groan.
Serving is helping people get what they need from the inside out.
Huh, well that doesn't sound so bad. Suddenly serving becomes so much more attainable. Now, I can serve my friend because I know she needs to be heard. Now, I can serve my roommate by washing her dishes that are beginning to grow mold. Now, I can serve my professor by writing a 'thank you' email for being so dedicated to my education.
On my own volition, I will go to the homeless shelter because I am now viewing them as people who are homeless not homeless people - because they should always come before their circumstance. I will go on that missions trip knowing that if I can't learn on an empty stomach, neither can these kids. And when I'm at the grocery store, I'll pick up something extra because, well I can. And I should.
I have a hard time believing that God is impressed with our (often failed) efforts to fit serving into our busy schedules. Instead, I think He probably just hoped that we would see people as people. Because if we can do that, then it's no longer about serving.
It's just about living.