In this episode, I teach a lesson on how to serve others gladly and I encourage you to have your family and children listen together. Service is kindness in action. Having an attitude of service means looking for ways to help rather than waiting to be asked.
Service is kindness in action. Service is giving to others; lifting loads and brightening lives. Having an attitude of service means looking for ways to help rather than waiting to be asked. The needs of others are important to those who unselfishly serve. They help people because they care about them, not because they expect a reward. Those who serve others will also benefit--they’ll enjoy good feelings of self-worth and an increased capacity to love.
As a family, participate in one of the acts of service below, or think of your own:
∙ Plant a tree.
∙ Clean/rake/snow-shovel a neighbor’s yard.
∙ Be friendlier at school.
∙ Help an elderly person with housework or yard work.
∙ Tend children for a young mother without pay.
∙ Read to a child.
∙ Pick up trash along the highway.
∙ Do volunteer work in the community.
∙ Take a meal to a needy family.
∙ Contribute to church and community projects.
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This is Solutions for Families – where parents come with problems and leave with solutions. I’m Paula Fellingham – thank you for joining me!
Hello and welcome! Today’s episode is how to serve others gladly.
Service is kindness in action. Service is giving to others; lifting loads and brightening lives. Having an attitude of service means looking for ways to help rather than waiting to be asked. The needs of others are important to those who unselfishly serve. They help people because they care about them, not because they expect a reward. Those who serve others will also benefit--they’ll enjoy good feelings of self-worth and an increased capacity to love.
For a child, serving others can be as simple as being friendly at school. One teacher said, “Children who have attitudes of service are alert to situations in which classmates are hurting. If they see a student eating alone, they sit with him. They are understanding and caring.”
For a parent, serving children and family is part of the “job.” A parent’s attitude about service is a powerful example to children. Serving cheerfully teaches children that joy comes from service.
The truth is that “self-centered” people are not as happy as those who are “others-centered.” Instead of looking at mirrors to see what we need, let’s look through windows to see other people’s needs. In families there are countless opportunities to serve one another.
Story
There are two seas in Palestine. One sea is fresh. Fish live in it. Trees and bushes grow near it. Children splash and play in it. The river Jordan flows into this sea from the north with sparkling water from the hills. People build their homes near it. Every kind of life is happier because it is there. It is called the Sea of Galilee. The same river Jordan flows south out of it into another sea. Here there are no fish, no green things, no children playing, no homes being built. Stale air hangs above its waters, and neither man nor beast will drink of it. It is called the Dead Sea. What makes the difference between these neighbor seas? Not the Jordan River. It empties the same good water into both. Nor is it the soil or the countryside.
The difference is that the Sea of Galilee receives water but does not keep it. For every drop that flows in, another drop flows out. The giving and the receiving go on in equal measure. The Dead Sea hoards its income. Every drop it gets, it keeps. The Sea of Galilee gives and gives. The Dead Sea gives nothing.
There are also two kinds of people in this world--those Dead Sea people who take without giving back, and the givers who remain fresh and vibrant by freely giving service and sharing of themselves.
Discussion
1. Which sea are we like, the Dead Sea or the Sea of Galilee?
2. How can we be more like the Sea of Galilee, giving of ourselves to others?
As a family, participate in one of the acts of service below, or think of your own.
∙ Plant a tree.
∙ Clean/rake/snow-shovel a neighbor’s yard.
∙ Be friendlier at school.
∙ Help an elderly person with housework or yard work.
∙ Tend children for a young mother without pay.
∙ Read to a child.
∙ Pick up trash along the highway.
∙ Do volunteer work in the community.
∙ Take a meal to a needy family.
∙ Contribute to church and community projects.
A Hindu proverb reads, “Help thy brother’s boat across, and lo, thy own has reached the shore.” Lightening the burdens of others brings joy, and strengthens us individually and as a family.
Okay, my friends. Until the next episode, have a beautiful day and please subscribe to my podcast, tell your friends about Solutions for Families, and come see me on paulafellingham.com. As always, I send you my love….