"BE OF SERVICE"

"Be of service" is a well-known phrase in recovery rooms. Serving others is an antidote to self-absorbed thinking and ruminating over our problems. Many of us are struggling with overwhelming difficulties. The first line of Rick Warren's book, "Purpose Driven Life" is "It is not about you." Spoiler alert. Being of service is about using your gifts and abilities to do only what you can do in the way you do it! In every situation we can switch our focus by asking ourselves how we can make someone or something better. Being of service can be volunteering, donating to charitable causes but can be much simpler by learning to incorporate this idea into your every day and everywhere you go.

Sometimes being of service is just getting out of our own head and putting the focus onto others to simply be kind...even to our enemies. Remember everyone is carrying a burden and their behavior/attitudes is often not about you. (If it is, then you can serve that person by making amends.)

Did you know that even your life's tragedies, heart aches and grief can be a blessing to others? How you walk through adversity can be an encouragement to someone struggling to just get through the day.

Being of service isn't about booking our calendars with more obligations, it is way of thinking and being. I once heard another pastor say, to "serve the people within your 15-foot radius." Look who is in front of you. It is washing the dishes, doing the laundry or cooking for your family. It is complimenting a co-worker for a job well done, holding the door for a stranger or being patient with the checkout clerk. It is calling that person that has been on your mind for a while to say hello and ask how they are doing. Being of service is also a survival skill for challenging places we must attend whether is a toxic work environment or family obligation. Wherever you find yourself today, look where your feet are planted and ask, "how can I be of service?" The Bible says, "where you are standing is holy ground." If you want to radically change your life, your mental health and even your physical health, start with gratitude and be of service. Every day, every moment is an opportunity to serve. It is healing for both the giver and receiver.

A quick story about my LH. When our children were younger and expressing a lack of appreciation, he would say, "Oh really?" Then he would grab a few cases of water and take them to Skid Row to pass out waters to the homeless men and women living on the streets in Los Angeles. Being of service also promotes "an attitude of gratitude."

*My name is Jennifer. I am Life Coach, Mental Health Advocate, Prisoner of Hope and Mom of Two Amazing Kids. After the sudden loss of my spouse, I was under employed, new widow and single mom struggling with grief. With God's help, I have reinvented myself as a Life Coach using my experiences to help people get better. It is my pleasure to serve others with my life for personal growth, freedom and joy!