As a youth I remember being puzzled when Bob Dylan sang, “you gotta serve someone.”
Two thousand years before that Jesus of Nazareth said, “Where a man’s treasure is, that is where his heart is.” Now that I am older (and hopefully wiser) I see that Bob Dylan was paraphrasing Jesus.
It has been said that you can tell where a man’s ‘treasure’ is by looking at his checkbook. In short, we ‘serve’ what we love.
I have recently been challenged to consider my ‘treasure’ as my L.I.F.E.
Labor Influence Finances Expertise
These are the gifts, or treasures, entrusted to each of us. (by God?) The question then becomes, “Will we love the gift or the gift giver?”
If we love the gift, our time, talent and finances will be things to hoard. We love them so we will hold to them tightly, giving begrudgingly. I may share, and I may even share willingly at times, but there will always be a subtle sense of pride, or feeling that I am ‘owed’ something in return: thanks, honor, a tax deduction.
On the other hand, if I love the gift giver I see the gifts as less significant and not a part of “me.” These gifts have come to me through the generosity of my benefactor, not by my merit. As such I act as steward, not owner. Whence the gift came, more can come. I now can develop an abundance mentality rather than a scarcity mentality. I can give with joy, knowing that my benefactor can provide for my needs. I can be a part of my benefactor’s provision for the needs of others.
I don't know that a belief in God, god, or gods, is a prerequisite for a life of generosity. I do find it helpful and rewarding. Regardless of your belief in a "higher power" I would love to hear your thoughts. What do you serve and why?
I'd add "calendar" to the checkbook test for serving. Good thoughts, M!
ReplyDeleteGood point. Is there anything more valuable than time? So glad you stopped by! Please come by again. :-)
ReplyDeleteGood question that challenges me of late as I contemplate decisions for GU N post-GU. Church reminds me Jesus is my king and safe place, so invest in him N what he values. Somehow it's easy to believe that my way is better than God's, that's the time-old lie anyway (Gen. 1-3). I like to think of God now as creative: salvation means creating what wasn't before, and faith means believing that is possible. I've found this faith-view to apply to formative leadership, or envisioning the best future for myself (instead of failure, etc.). This program has taught me this leadership behavior the most (starting w/504)!
ReplyDeleteDena - wow you don't waste time getting around :-) I am so glad you stopped by. So I see you are a Christian. In light of that, how do you define "failure"? (Don't answer that now, save it for a later blog post!)
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