Why Serving Others Starts With Gratitude to God

A while back, I looked up how many people the average person interacts with over their lifetime, and the answer I found was somewhere between 10,000 and 25,000
individuals. That number shocked me, but what stood out even more was that only
about 500 to 1,500 of those connections ever become meaningful relationships.

When I was in sixth grade, going through some rough years at home, my parents
connected me with a gentleman from our church who became a mentor during that
season. He took me to see SpongeBob at the movie theater, and another time we met up to play catch and talk about life.

We met a few other times that year, but at that age, it was exactly what I needed. He simply showed up, expecting nothing in return, and was there to listen and spend time with me. I feel bad because I don’t even remember his name, and I’ve never had the chance to thank him. But to this day, I still remember how much it meant that he showed up for me.

Another person who made a big impact on my life was my high school small group
leader, Les Jensen. When I first moved to Idaho and started attending Crossroads, Les and his wife, Barb, led one of the youth small groups. They served with such joy that you could tell they truly loved being there for the students. Les has always gone out of his way to stay in touch and ask how he can pray for people.

When I was seventeen and trying to buy my first car, Les came with me to look at cars. He showed up for my high school graduation and sat through the whole three-hour ceremony. Last year, he even took me on a side-by-side ride to Silver City.

He still invites our old high school group over for dinner and devotionals, even though it’s been almost four years since we were in his group. Les has been a mentor who stuck around and showed me the kind of person I want to become. Even in retirement, in his seventies, he and Barb continue serving in youth ministry at another church.

More recently, my discipleship group leader, Marika, has also been a great mentor in my life. She came to Crossroads a couple of years ago and jumped right into the high school and young adult ministries. Later, when our middle school director left, she stepped up to lead that ministry as well.

At the time, I was serving with middle school students during the week, and Marika encouraged me to keep going. But she didn’t stop there—she wanted the young adults serving to have better tools and training in leadership and discipleship. So she created a discipleship huddle, which I’ve been part of every Sunday for the past year and a half. Marika has been such a source of encouragement and wisdom, helping me grow in leadership and in my walk with Christ.

How Can We Be That Person for Someone Else?

Jesus, the ultimate servant, says in John 13:14-15,

“So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.”

He makes it so clear and simple. If the God of the universe humbled Himself to wash our feet, how much more should we serve others? But how can we serve with the right heart?

A good place to start is by checking our motives. Why do we want to serve? If we’re doing it for recognition or to make ourselves look better, then we’re not truly serving—we’re just glorifying ourselves. Real service flows from humility and gratitude in response to what Christ has done for us. Serving isn’t about earning our way to heaven, because we never could; Jesus already paid that price. Instead, it’s about letting a transformed heart move us to love and serve others.

Sometimes, figuring out where to serve can be challenging. Service looks different for everyone. First Peter 4:10–11 says, “God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another… Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ.”

Use What You Have

A few weeks ago, I attended a funeral at church. In the kitchen, quietly preparing food, was Jim, an older man who loves cooking to bless people. Just a few weeks earlier, he’d also cooked for a fundraiser to support a young adult going on a mission trip to Mexico.

You can clearly see that Jim finds joy in using his gift to serve others. Whether it’s cooking, mentoring, building, playing music, or simply showing up for someone, there are countless ways to serve and glorify God through what He’s already gifted us with.

So, going back to what I mentioned at the beginning, we may interact with 10,000 to 25,000 people in our lifetime. If we intentionally choose to serve and build relationships with as many of them as we can in our lives, that’s thousands of lives impacted. Imagine the ripple effect that could have for God’s kingdom. I think that’s something worth getting excited about.