14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14-15
As I was walking across campus at my job this week, I came across several pieces of trash that had blown out of one of our maintenance carts. I made an intentional decision on my way to my event in my suit to stop and pick up the trash and while doing this, I stepped into a mud-filled flower bed. I then proceeded to carry the trash to the closest dumpster. I don't speak these words to show that I did anything special, but I speak these words to set up the remainder of my story. After seeing me pick up the trash, one of the heads of our maintenance staff stopped to pick me up in his cart and asked where he could take me, and I politely answered, to your lunch. I am not sure he realized that the lunch he was about to eat was to be served by me. I did wash my hands prior to serving the lunch, but as I looked at the faces of my maintenance and housekeeping staff, it made me realize a few things about serving. The smallest things like a ride to a destination, picking up rubbish that will help improve the look of our area, and simply serving people can produce a feeling of joy that we can sometimes miss out on if we are not looking for ways we can serve. The simpleness of serving our Father in Heaven can also bring us joy, and closer to Him. But remember, when you are serving people, you are serving Him as well. Throw away the negativity in your life and find a way to serve daily, it will surely change your outlook.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
