Gotta ‘Serve’ Somebody [v156]

FEBRUARY 2012

Gotta ‘Serve’ Somebody

Years ago, Bob Dylan recorded a song called “Gotta Serve Somebody.” His message was that no matter your station in life, no matter how independent, self-sufficient, or in-control you might try to be—or think you are—you will still ‘serve’ something or somebody.

The word “serve” here is important. Webster’s first definition of it is “an act of helpful activity or unselfish aid”—very similar to the definition of “kindness.”

The first thing that comes to my mind when I read this, is something I did when I was a young boy—though it’s principles have guided and stayed with me all these years…the Boy Scouts.

Scouting has, from its inception, been deeply rooted in the concept of doing for others. “Do a Good Turn Daily” is a core Scouting precept. In addition to that, Scouting’s “National Honor Society” ‘expanded’ that principle into those of brotherhood, cheerfulness, and service.

– Brotherhood: Seeing things from someone else’s viewpoint, and working together to solve their problems
– Cheerfulness: Approaching and interacting with others in a polite and enthusiastic way, even when the task at hand may seem unpleasant
– Service: Going out of your way to help others while asking for nothing in return

Even the business ‘world’ agrees that serving others through a commitment to these principles drives customer loyalty and retention. They believe that how well they serve their constituents, members, customers, or co-workers is ultimately measured with a ballot, a decision to join or stay, or with the currency ‘consumers’ use to buy their products or services.

I’ve got to believe that most of us can say that, most of the time, helping another person makes us feel good—and as a ‘happy consequence’, it also makes us more appealing to others, increases the sense of goodwill, which then can build unity and responsibility in a ‘community’—because most people admire those who help others.

Not surprisingly, the adage that “it’s better to give than to receive” has scientific underpinnings. According to the “National and Community Service Corporation,” helping others contributes to your overall health and sense of personal worth. This, in turn, strengthens the sense of shared human experience and goals. Despite wars and other serious disagreements, people tend to prefer to get along with each other.

Helping another person, even in small acts, adds up to creating a better, more generous, and more resourceful you. By helping others you are more likely to meet interesting people, discover important things, and experience new points of view that improve the quality of your life. The richer your interpersonal connections, the more knowledge you have to draw from, whether it be related to jobs, family, or health. When you come to another’s aid, you are exhibiting selfless love that signals generosity and strength to onlookers. This has even been ‘proven’ scientifically.

Studies have shown that kindness changes the brain, impacts the heart and immune system, and may even be an antidote for depression. David R. Hamilton, researcher and author of the book “Why Kindness is Good For You,” says that we are “actually genetically wired to be kind.”

Other scientific research has also found that the hormone “oxytocin” acts like a ‘cement’ for trust and love. According to “Live Science,” oxytocin is linked to a mother’s bonding with her newborn, human mating, development of lasting friendships, and even day-to-day acts of generosity. Helping other people boosts your oxytocin, benefits your sense of connection, boosts your self-esteem, and even improves physical health by lowering your blood pressure!

A 2007 article in “Scientific American” cited a research study that further verified oxyocin makes people more generous. The study infused 40IU oxytocin into half the participants using a nasal spray, and similarly administered salt water to the other half, without them knowing which one they had received. Then they made decisions in the “Ultimatum Game” [http://money.howstuffworks.com/ultimatum-game.htm ] The study reported that the oxytocin increased generosity by 80% compared to the placebo group!

Not surprisingly, kindness has been a ‘trait’ that great thinkers and writers have celebrated down the centuries. The Roman philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius declared, “Kindness is mankind’s greatest delight.”

So, it is not that real kindness requires people to be selfless, it is rather that real kindness changes people in the doing of it, often in unpredictable ways. Real kindness is an exchange with essentially unpredictable consequences. It is a risk precisely because it mingles our needs and desires with the needs and desires of others, in a way that so-called self-interest never can.

Kindness is compassion in action.

That was the idea behind my church’s initiative during the recent “Advent” season.

Advent is the four-week period leading up to the celebration of Christmas. The word comes from the Latin, and means “to come toward.” When Jesus was born in Bethlehem He “came toward” us, to be with us, to be one of us.

So, every year during Advent my church thinks about what this means for our lives and for the world around us. In the Bible, John 1:9 says, “The One who is the true light, Who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.” Jesus was the “light of the world” and as we extend help ‘in His name’, we shine that ‘light’ all around us.

That then was their goal—to impact individuals and communities around the church with Christ’s ‘light’.

So how did they do this? In two ways: Through participating in “hands-on ministry” and by giving resources or material gifts. They called the effort, “Advent Lights,” and it supported both places where people could give their time and energy, and options for giving of their financial resources and material gifts.

They selected a verse of Scripture from the Bible that was the guiding focus for the ministries that were selected—Matthew 25:35-36: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Using these verses from Matthew 25 as their guide, they identified a number of ways for the congregation to serve others in visible, tangible acts of mercy, compassion, and support. The following were the ministries that had a focus on one of the six ‘aspects’ in that Scripture:

ANGEL TREE: Helping bring the joy of Christmas to families of prisoners by providing gifts to the children ‘from’ the incarcerated parent, and a Christmas dinner for the family.

CAREER DRESS: Provides complete professional-quality interview ensembles to women. They consist of suits, shoes, handbags, jewelry, hose, and undergarments. When a job is secured, two additional outfits are provided.

CAROLING: Groups of all ages sang Christmas carols at a variety of nursing and senior care homes in the area, providing an emotional ‘lift’, some ‘excitement’, and the opportunity to interact with small children. They also caroled outside in the neighborhood that they will be building a new home this coming summer for the “Life Remodeled” movement.

COVENANT WORLD RELIEF: Responding to the needs of the world’s most vulnerable—the poor and marginalized—with humanitarian aid. Helping those suffering from extreme poverty, hunger, disease, and injustice.

DETROIT CHILDREN’S CHOIR: Giving over 150 middle-to-high school aged children living in Detroit the experience of the joy and discipline of choral singing, and the opportunity to travel to different venues.

DETROIT RESCUE MISSION: A homeless shelter and soup kitchen that also provides programs to help sobriety, parenting skills, employability skills, and free medical care to more than 5,000 men, women, and children.

HOMEBOUND VISITATIONS: One-on-one visits to provide comfort, support, conversation, and help with small chores for those who are not able to leave their homes.

LIFE CHALLENGE: A year-long addiction recovery residency program, for both men and women, offering help, healing, and hope to those who struggle with an addiction of any kind.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD: Part of “Samaritan’s Purse,” and organization that provides physical aid to victims of war, poverty, natural disaster, and disease. It distributes over eight million ‘shoeboxes’ filled with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items to needy children in over 130 countries.

NORTH AMERICAN JAPANESE OUTREACH: A ministry that helps the surrounding Japanese community adjust to life in the United States, and connect them into a supportive ‘community’.

[The following video shows highlights of most of the initiatives that were supported. Note: There are also additional videos on the FaithCovenantECC YouTube channel that show more details of what happened at the various events]:

At Christmas God shed His ‘light’ on the world through His Son, Jesus. We can also shine that ‘light’ into some dark ‘corners’ to brighten up people’s lives and give them hope by SERVING them. That’s why Jesus said, “…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven” [Matthew 5:16].

If one continues reading in Matthew chapter 25, Jesus tells a parable that ‘looked’ into the future to the “day of reckoning”—where all people will be separated into two ‘sections’. The thing is, only one ‘side’ will be welcomed into the joy and glory of Heaven. Jesus said those will be the people who ‘walked their talk’—the ones who fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the poor, tended to the sick, and ministered to the prisoner. Those turned away from Heaven will be those who, regardless of their verbal claims, ignored the hungry and thirsty, turned away from the stranger, the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned. Matthew 25 doesn’t catalogue all the ways that God’s people can live out their faith, but what it does describe is an active faith that visibly demonstrates the love so freely shared with them.

Jesus also mentions that the unselfish acts of mercy and compassion we do that are done to those in need, He will consider them as having been done to Himself. Likewise, for those too preoccupied with their own lives to worry about someone else, it will turn out that they have ignored Jesus, not just the needy. This says that these acts of mercy were not done to curry favor or impress, but were a genuine response to human need that arose out of hearts overflowing with God’s love. They were not performed because one “had to” or “ought to,” but because they “wanted to.”

So, we can see that God looks ‘favorably’ on these who serve unselfishly, and even more so of those who have chosen to serve others as a loving ‘servant’ of His!

All this to say that Dylan got it right, “Well it may be the devil and it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” You can search the Bible from cover to cover and you won’t find any example of ‘spiritual neutrality’. We all have the option whether or not to CHOOSE God or not.

So, just one question for you: Since everybody is going to serve ‘somebody’ (even yourself) or ‘something’, who or what are you centering your life on today?

Have you made your decision? “Who” will you serve?

[Excerpts from: Ken Larson; Meg Brannagan; Vitali Zagorodnov; Livestrong.com]

[P.S.: If you would like to investigate further about what the Bible has to say about the motivation for living a good life and why we should be ‘good’, visit the following link:
http://www.TheSearchForMeaning.net/sfm_pres/sp_q11_d5_1of10.html

Blessings…Mark

LIFE’S DEEP THOUGHTS (v156) for FEBRUARY 2012
If you have a ‘neat’ story or some thoughts about an issue or current event that you would like me to try to respond to, I would be glad to give it a try…so, send them to me at: mbesh@comcast.net

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GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY
You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls