GROWING A SERVANT'S HEART

Having the heart of a servant is something I really want for my children. I want them to serve the Lord and their community. I don't want them to do it because they have to. I want them to want to. I want them to feel the need to serve out of love. Not for recognition, not for financial gain, but just because the Love of Jesus pours out of them onto others.

Our neighbors across the street, Mrs. Barbara and her husband, are elderly. My kids love her(her husband doesn't come out much and none of us have really gotten to know him at all.) She makes them candy and they can't wait to take some of whatever we bake to her. Last fall Kenyon decided he liked raking the leaves. He spent a few days on our yard and then recruited his sisters to help him conquer Mrs. Barbara's yard. Last year it was fun and I figured it was a chore they would not embrace for long. Today, my kids went outside to play. I went to check on them and found them across the street raking the leaves. They are not doing it for recognition, obviously, because the neighbors are not even home so no one can see them doing it. They are not doing it for money-again, no one is home so they have no reason to believe they are getting paid for this job. Why are they doing it..."because Mrs Barbara is too old to do it." They believe she has a need even though she has not expressed that need and asked for help. They got together and took it upon themselves to fulfill it.

They took their bag and hug it on the back of Mrs. Barbara's truck and are filling it up with her leaves. I still believe that the chore of raking leaves is one they will not embrace for long. I can tell this by the fact that my yard is COVERED in leaves. Oh yes, they have made piles-but only to jump in and play in and re-scatter across the yard. The bag they are using across the street is the bag I gave them to pick up our leaves a few days ago but it never happened. The chore of raking the leaves is not fun for them. Serving a neighbor that they love when they believe she has a need-now that is a whole different story.

Update:I did not know what the kids did with the bag after they filled it. Well I learned they brought it to our yard and DUMPED IT!! It got full and they still have leaves in Mrs Barbara's yard to get so what else were they supposed to do?!? I am pretty sure our leaves(plus the ones brought over) will never be raked and discarded but we have plenty for jumping into!