Spiritual pathways (3)

The serving pathway. On the serving pathway, you find God’s presence seems most tangible when you’re helping others. You identify with the words of Jesus: “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these…you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40 NKJV). And you may find that you are uncomfortable in a setting where you don’t have a role to play or a service to perform. An example of this would be Dorcas, whom the Bible says, “was full of good works and charitable deeds” (Acts 9:36 NKJV). Mother Teresa would be a modern counterpart to Dorcas. She said the primary reason she was so involved in serving was not that it was something she was supposed to do, but that it brought her joy. She often felt her own inadequacy when she was alone; but she never felt the presence of Jesus more strongly than in the presence of those she served. President Jimmy Carter has probably inspired more people as an ex-president than he did while he was in office because of his passion for servanthood through such channels as Habitat for Humanity. People on this pathway find that if they’re just attending church but have no place to serve, God begins to feel distant. They need to be “plugged in.” Two dangers faced if you are in the serving pathway are: (1) You will be tempted to judge others who don’t seem to be serving as much as you do. (2) You can get caught up in being God’s servant and forget that you’re His beloved and redeemed child. Hence you have to stretch by learning to receive love as well as to offer it.