Simple Service

By Susannah Wollman 

For over 20 years, I’ve had a poem hanging in my kitchen.  It’s printed on a thin sheet of some kind of metal, and mounted on a plastic, wood-looking round plaque.  It’s not very pretty, and the author’s name has long since been rubbed away.  I’ve tried to find the poem elsewhere, but I’ve never been able to find it again.  So I will quote it here for you:

“Lord, warm my kitchen with your love,
And light it with your peace;
Forgive me all my worrying,
And make my grumbling cease.
Thou didst love to share Thy food
In room or by the sea;
Accept this service that I do—
I do it unto Thee.”
 author unknown

It’s been a part of my decor wherever I’ve gone, because I want to always remember that my housework, and especially my work in the kitchen, is a service rendered unto God.  It reminds me of the passage in Matthew 25:40: “The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'”

What kind of service do we “render unto the King” these days?  More than likely in our busy lifestyles, we think of Christian service as being something we pay others to do.  We pay our Pastor to preach, our Sunday school director to run the Sunday school program, the Women’s Ministry director to come up with all the wonderful get togethers.

But there are other ways to render service to the King, even if you’re so busy you barely have time to breathe.  Buy a box of encouraging cards and pick up a copy of your prayer list on Sunday.  Then spend a few minutes each night writing a short message and sending them to those who are hurting, are struggling, or are lonely.  Let them know you care.  Take one afternoon a month and volunteer to bake cookies for the youth group’s meeting.  Go to a nursing home and read to an elderly person.  Volunteer at a soup kitchen or work in a non-profit resale shop.  Ask if you can help the Women’s Ministry prepare the mailers for the next retreat.  Offer to keep the kids for a sister who desperately needs some rest.  Teach a child to read.  Sign up to host a cell group.  Sew curtains for the nursery.  Offer a cup of cold water to the boy who mows your lawn.

I’ll bet if you ask, there is a multitude of ways your talents, and time can be used by your church, your neighbors, and your kids’ school.  Ask.  Service goes way beyond charitable giving.  It means giving your heart, your time, and your love.  Spend time in prayer this week and ask God, “How can I render a service unto you, Lord?” He may remind you that whatever you do in His name, you do for Him.  And that includes fixing breakfast for your family!