Serving Like Jesus

Thank you to Alyson Piatt, Academic Advisor, for writing today's blog.

Several Saturdays each semester I have the privilege of traveling with a small group of Shepherds College students to Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois.  Here students serve in the Special Friends’ Respite Care program.  Parents of children with disabilities have the opportunity to attend support groups, while their children are supervised by volunteers.

            Mark 10: 45 tells us, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Each visit, I am blessed as I watch students discover new ways to serve like Jesus.  

            Serving requires us to get out of our comfort zones.  Jesus, though fully God, left Heaven to become the form of a man and serve us.  During each visit to Willow Creek, our students also must get out of their comfort zones.  Serving means hour long car rides just to reach the church and giving up other fun weekend activities.  It involves leading loud, silly songs with exaggerated motions!!  Before each session, the students giggle as I teach the new song for the day.  They are often hesitant at first to follow suit.  It is a joy to see each of them eventually stand in front of the group and lead the song for the children at the Respite with enthusiasm.  Serving like Jesus calls us out of our comfort zone!

            Serving calls us to put others interests’ before our own.  Jesus humbled himself to die for our sins, putting our interests before his own.  Serving at Willow Creek may mean playing the same game over and over again!  It could mean running around with a child from one activity to the next.  It might involve learning to communicate through motions with children who can’t speak.  Serving is being willing to pick up the toys that were thrown all over the floor.  Serving means helping others complete the crafts rather than doing them ourselves.  Serving like Jesus puts others first!

                I’m so thankful for these Shepherds College Student Servants.  We can all learn a lot from them as we serve like Jesus! 

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.