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Go fish

IMG_1798 Saying “yes” to God sometimes means sitting on the floor of a gym behind a folding partition while little and big kids throw cheap fishing poles from the dollar store over the top and you hook cheap plastic aquatic creatures on to the hooks and tug on them so the kids can “reel” in the catch.

Not that I am speaking from personal experience, of course.

Ok. I am.

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Our small group helped man the games for a school carnival that our church hosted last night. We have been talking about serving and so we had the opportunity to come alongside the staff of a local elementary school for their family night.

When we arrived, we had assignments. Mine was the fishing game.

There were two positions at this station. I could hand out the poles and prizes or sit behind the “pond” wall and provide the catch ‘o the day. I figured the kids would like to see a familiar face out front, so I took a seat behind the screen for two hours while the teacher helper fielded the fishermen.

My back hurt. My feet went to sleep. I was often peered at and laughed at by taller kids and parents as they couldn’t resist seeing how the poles were “catching” things.

It didn’t feel like service. It didn’t suit my set of giftings. It wasn’t particularly rewarding.

And so, in the realm of service, it was pretty much perfect.

Why do we always think that service is going to feel like we did something, or that we are going to be so blessed to help? Most service is really just showing up, doing the thing that needs to be done, and heading on home to warm up some leftovers because supper should have been eaten two hours ago.

It makes me think of how Jesus explained service in Luke 17. It reads kind of like this; what master, when his servant comes in from a hard days work, is going to say, “Well, bless your heart. Have a seat here and let me get you some dinner.” But instead, the master would expect the servant to get HIS dinner. It’s his responsibility. Sometimes I think we can over think serving instead of just saying “yes” to the opportunities we have for no other reason than someone is needed to serve and it may as well be one of us.

Is there some area where you are called to serve that seems thankless and small? I urge you to serve quietly and reverently as to the LORD! It is always Him, our Master, that we serve with great joy in all we do <3

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