Mom Heart Moments #175

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.

I ALWAYS FOUND THAT THE best way I could teach my children how to serve with a willing and joyous heart was simply to be a model of the kind of attitude I wanted them to learn. And I found that when I took the time to serve them personally, their hearts softened and they were willing to listen to my training.

Joy, my youngest child, has always responded to gifts of service. One year, when we were going to be out of town a lot, I had the idea of helping Joy pack her suitcase, something she usually did on her own. She had seemed particularly moody and unhelpful in the previous few days, but I just sat on the floor in her room as we worked together to select outfits and shoes and fit them all into her suitcase. The longer we sat, the chattier she got, and I watched her countenance soften. When I stood up at the end, she hugged me and said, “Thanks for serving me, Mama. I know you’re busy, but it means a lot to me.”

Companionship —having my children serve alongside me —was a way to teach my children how to serve. Clay and I involved the kids in almost every aspect of our ministry from the start. Sarah and Joel sealed envelopes and stamped newsletters, all of them babysat kids of the parents we counseled, they served at conferences and carried suitcases for the moms who came to our ministry events. “If it is God’s will for us to be in ministry, it’s God’s will for you to be too,” we said. We started every conference with an evening of training for our kids and the volunteers, talking about why we ministered and what kind of heart we wanted them to have for our guests.

If your children’s actions and attitudes are at least in part a reflection of you, are you happy with what you see? Ask the Lord to change what He needs to change.