Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
Psalm 37:4-5 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
I believe it is important to serve others no matter what your state is,single, married, widowed, handicapped, young, old, what have you. There is always a way to serve someone else no matter what, even if it is very small in your eyes.
I am fairly young and completely healthy and love to help others. The verse in Ecclesiastes says to remember your Creator in the days of your youth. I have heard countless older people tell me that they wish they had the opportunity to work in the church or other various things to serve and just couldn't because their health kept them from it. They are still serving by being an encouragement to others and giving advice to the ones who will listen.
The verse in Psalm says to delight yourself in the Lord and to commit your ways to Him and He will give you the desires of your heart. I believe that if you focus on serving God and serving others as He commands us, that He will give you not only what you need but also your wants.
I also believe that just because I am single, it is pointless for me to sit around and do nothing but wait on a spouse and then start working. I want a spouse that is willing to work and wants to serve others, so it doesn't make sense for just to sit around and do nothing until he shows up, because when he does come around, he won't want anything to do with me if I am doing nothing because he will think I'm lazy and he will want someone working for the Lord also.
In some ways, it is easier to serve while you are single. I have had opportunities to travel (not out of the country, but to different parts of the country. I can't wait to get out of the country too!) that if I have had to worry about taking care of a spouse or kids I wouldn't have been able to go. Some of these opportunities show up last minute, and since it is just me I can just pack a bag and go!
Ok, so now some of my favorite ways to serve.
1) Our church has nursing home services that I absolutely love going to. It makes me so thankful of everything I have, my family, my health, and my ability to go anytime I want. I go to be a blessing but most of the time I come away the one blessed! These sweet people most of the time have no one to care about them, and they just love the attention. Most of them have such a sweet spirit and are so encouraging, even though you are there to encourage them.
2) My church has a Christian school, and my favorite way to serve hands down is going to volunteer at the school. I absolutely love those kids! On a whole they are really great kids and it is an honor to help shape them and prepare them for life. I have a couple that needed more tutoring than others and they have my phone number and still call me to help tutor them!
3) Mission trips- Again I have only been to trips inside the country and I cannot wait until I get to go outside of the country too! I have been to one in Arkansas where we went into one of the poorest counties in America. My group helped with a two week youth camp. I cried the whole week! The families I saw and the condition they were in made me so thankful for everything I have. You could obviously tell they didn't have a tenth of the "things" I have, but on a whole were many times more thankful for what they did have. I have also been to Harland, KY several times, and will get to go back this year. This a coal mining community who struggles to make ends meet, and we are getting to give food and toys out for Christmas. I love helping the kids put their toys together and playing with them!
I honestly believe we are the ones who get the blessing when we serve others!
Have a great Monday Everyone!
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