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To serve or not to serve!

 

While volunteering at church this morning, I had a conversation with one of our church family members who coordinates community meals. I asked how it was going, he replied that all was well, although volunteers were a little light on the ground currently. “But,” he went on to say, “I’m not going around asking for volunteers, I’m waiting for God to send them.”

What a lovely way to demonstrate faith and trust in the Lord. It reminded me of the time I spoke lovingly to one of our older women in the congregation about jumping into volunteering for everything. Hers was the first name on the list every time, but then she would suffer from exhaustion—she was a small woman, with very few reserves.

In the church service, if the minister asked for someone to come up to help demonstrate a point or do something else, she would jump to her feet and rush up.

I experienced the Holy Spirit prompting me some of those times, but before I could get up, she was there. I felt as if she had taken a gift from me. Not only the gift of serving, but the gift of being obedient to the Spirit.

She is a lovely, committed Christian, but I felt impelled to speak lovingly to her regarding her desire to serve, pre-empting the work of the Holy Spirit. I was blessed that she listened and gracefully acknowledged that it was an issue for her. She thanked me for bringing it to her attention, so that she could learn to wait on the Holy Spirit’s leading.

We are called to serve—but maybe there is a time not to serve, if God has someone else in mind who needs to get out of their comfort zone.

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