School and Service
School is right around the corner and every year I think to myself what's going to be different. For one, I'm a grade level older, but most importantly, God has put something extremely essential on my heart. Service. We are supposed to serve one other, but I know that it can be quite hard to do when you are studying for tests and doing homework. However this post isn't meant to make others feel like just studying and taking tests at a school is okay. Before I go on in this post, I want to make clear that I'm not saying school isn't important, I'm saying we should go outside of our comfort zones! I go to a school with more than a thousand kids and I probably have an encounter (passing them in the hall or just seeing them) with just about everyone. In the past I've thought of that as the public school life.. We pass each other in halls while going to our next class just to walk right to our seats listen to the lesson and repeat what just happened. Of course more often that not we'll stop in the halls and talk to our friends, but have you ever walked up to someone you don't know (a new kid, a freshman, or someone else you've never talked to) and just told them you hope they have a good day? Have you ever taken the time to walk up to someone you've never met and start a conversation? Well if your answer is no then I can relate. I can't think of one time where I stopped talking to my friends long enough to realize that there are hundreds of others who I could be meeting!
Service is so important. But I usually get side-tracked by MY school work, trying to make MY grades better, who I'M going to eat lunch with, or who I'M going to walk with in the halls. How ignorant of me to worry about all those silly things. Romans 15:1-2 says, "Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. Each one of us must please his neighbor for his good, in order to build him up." I also looked at this verse in The Message and it helped put it into words more understandable, "Strength is for service not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking 'How can I help?'" This verse is precisely what I needed to get excited about this school year! When I think about going to school to serve, I get excited, I get excited to see how God will work in all of us while we are working for each other. I got the extraordinary opportunity to listen to Dr. Kevin Queen speak at a GSLT Leadership Summit. His lesson was based upon going to the back of the line. We all want to be in the front, we all want to lead, we all want to make the difference while we are number 1. And don't get me wrong, making a difference is super no matter where you are, but what would happen if we all walked to the back of the line? What would happen if instead of fighting to be the best we turned around and walked straight to the last spot in the line? Dr. Kevin Queen said something that to this day I still haven't forgotten, "If you're always fighting for the front of the line, the people behind you will only see your back." It's hard to serve others while your back is facing them at all times. We have to realize that if we want to be leaders, if we want to change our schools, we have to go to the back of the line. So let's all do a 180 and go to the back of the line. Don't worry so much about school assignments because we surely weren't put on this earth so we could just "focus on school". Get excited for what the school year will hold because I know I am! Galatians 5:13 tells us, "For you are called to freedom, brothers; only don't use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another with love." Let's take on the school year and always be asking "How can I help?" Let's take on the school year and be bold!
Service is so important. But I usually get side-tracked by MY school work, trying to make MY grades better, who I'M going to eat lunch with, or who I'M going to walk with in the halls. How ignorant of me to worry about all those silly things. Romans 15:1-2 says, "Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves. Each one of us must please his neighbor for his good, in order to build him up." I also looked at this verse in The Message and it helped put it into words more understandable, "Strength is for service not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking 'How can I help?'" This verse is precisely what I needed to get excited about this school year! When I think about going to school to serve, I get excited, I get excited to see how God will work in all of us while we are working for each other. I got the extraordinary opportunity to listen to Dr. Kevin Queen speak at a GSLT Leadership Summit. His lesson was based upon going to the back of the line. We all want to be in the front, we all want to lead, we all want to make the difference while we are number 1. And don't get me wrong, making a difference is super no matter where you are, but what would happen if we all walked to the back of the line? What would happen if instead of fighting to be the best we turned around and walked straight to the last spot in the line? Dr. Kevin Queen said something that to this day I still haven't forgotten, "If you're always fighting for the front of the line, the people behind you will only see your back." It's hard to serve others while your back is facing them at all times. We have to realize that if we want to be leaders, if we want to change our schools, we have to go to the back of the line. So let's all do a 180 and go to the back of the line. Don't worry so much about school assignments because we surely weren't put on this earth so we could just "focus on school". Get excited for what the school year will hold because I know I am! Galatians 5:13 tells us, "For you are called to freedom, brothers; only don't use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another with love." Let's take on the school year and always be asking "How can I help?" Let's take on the school year and be bold!
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