TFTD: “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” –Galatians 2:20

As I sit here in my office this morning admiring the beautiful snow that is coming down, I am reminiscing about last night’s events. My wife and I were given the opportunity to go to a church/school in inner city Minneapolis and help other members of our congregation serve a Thanksgiving meal to the members and families of that church and school. We have only lived in the Twin Cities area for almost two weeks and so this was our first opportunity to see what the inner city area was like. What an experience it was for us! We met and talked to people from all different walks of life. Some were teachers of the school, some were families of the school, and they all had different stories to tell. But the one thing that I noticed most about our experience there was that there were a lot of happy people. Everyone who was there to serve the meal and help clean up all seemed really happy and I think I know why.

            All of these people were serving others. Most of them had taken time out of their hurried lives and schedules to come and show many underprivileged families what it means to be taken care of. It didn’t seem to matter what was happening in their lives or how stressed and tired they were, there were smiles, laughs, and many conversations that produced this happiness. Now as I think about it, it seems a little strange that people would give up their time and offer their services to do jobs that people try and avoid on a regular basis. I know that in my time in high school I did everything I could to avoid working a janitorial or food service job but last night, no matter what the job, people were pitching in and helping with smiles to go around.

            That’s really weird isn’t it? I mean isn’t the American dream fall into a category of being prosperous and climbing the work ladder as fast as possible? Then why does it seem that some of those people who are working and living the American dream just aren’t happy or maybe are extremely upset about the things that are happening in their lives? Look at who their focus is on. It isn’t on the other people in the office or even on the job itself. It is on them and how quickly and successfully they can achieve something. Then look at our experience last night. Lots of people doing food service and janitorial jobs, but they had a different focus. It was on those who they were doing it for.

            So where does this strange happiness and attitude come from? Well Christ of course. In Galatians 2 it talks about how we were crucified with Christ and now it is no longer us who are living but Christ living and loving through us. That is where it comes from. This unexplainable joy that we get from serving others and doing good from others is the Holy Spirit living and working through our lives. So what does that mean for you and me? Well it means that if you are unhappy you should quit your job and go find a McDonalds that needs another janitor. JUST KIDDING! It might mean that you need to look at your job a little differently. Is there a way that you can look at your job as a service to others and find joy knowing that you are helping someone accomplish or gain something and you want nothing in return for it? Give it a try and see how Christ changes your attitude towards those around you. I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Question for the day: Is there a way that you can look at your job as a service to others and find joy knowing that you are helping someone accomplish or gain something and you want nothing in return for it?

“The best feeling of happiness is when you’re happy because you’ve made someone else happy.”

 –Anonymous