What Can I Do to Serve You?

Romans 12:6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If
a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if
it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs
of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern
diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Recently a very good friend of mine approached me with a question—she
was interested in finding her God given purpose. She works on a job and
makes good money, but she hates her job. She doesn’t like what she is
doing. She doesn’t like the people she works with. In general, she
simply does not like her job. And the sad part about it is, she doesn’t
believe she ever liked her job. She simply took the job because the pay
was good.

Because she is growing in spirit, she is becoming restless with the work
that she does. So, the two of us put our heads together and decided
exactly what she was meant to do. Now, me, because I have an
entrepreneurial spirit, I suggested started her own business. She got
quiet and had this look on her face that, although she liked my
suggestions up until that point, she simply wasn’t feeling the whole
entrepreneurial thing.

She asked, “Does living your life with purpose require one to be an
entrepreneur? If it does, then maybe I’m not meant to live my life’s
purpose. I simply can’t see me running my own business. My mother worked
for the public school system with children and every single day of her
life she was excited about going to work. She simply loved it. She said
that she would do what she did, whether or not she received pay for it.”

My answer, of course, was NO. It is not necessary that you go out and
start your own company to live the life God intended you to live. Each
of us has special talents. As the scripture says, if you are good at
serving, then serve; if you are good at leading, then lead. We all have
talents that make us special. One’s talent doesn’t make any one any more
special than the other.

Although you are blessed with a special talent, it all boils down to
doing what God sent us here to do, and that is to SERVE. We are to serve
God’s children. No matter what your talent may be, whether you want to
start your own business, or find one that allows you to use your talents
exactly the way you are best suited, doesn’t matter. What matters is
that you use your talents to serve others—God’s children. And since we
are ALL God’s children, we are to serve mankind.

Now, I have spoken with people who tell me that they have a problem with
serving others. I find this hard to believe. Well, first, I must say, if
this is you, you had better find a way to get over it, because no matter
WHAT you do, you are serving someone. If you are the President of your
own company, you are still serving people. If you own a business, you
are either offering a service or a product. And if your product or
service doesn’t serve in some capacity, then I can’t see you being in
business for any length of time.


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Let me tell you a little story about Cathy. Cathy had worked all of her
life as a Recruiter. She never really liked her job, she simply liked
the commissions she made when she found the right candidate. However,
one thing she did like about her job was the fact that she was always
meeting people. She would search on the Internet for resumes and call
those who seemed like a fit for a job requisition she was trying to
fill. She was great at meeting people and talking with strangers. During
her work life, she had met hundreds, maybe even thousands of people. She
had found hundreds new jobs and this always made her feel good.

About two years ago, Cathy retired. The first six months or so she spent
time traveling, going to all the places she always wanted to go but
never found the time to go. After traveling for six months she was bored
with it. Soon, she found that retirement wasn’t all what she thought it
would be. In fact, she was bored out of her mind. Her children were all
grown now and had moved all over the county, and although she spoke to
them regularly, her home was very empty and quiet. To put it quite
frankly, she was bored.

Cathy decided that she was still alive and kicking and wanted to go back
to work. She didn’t want to be a recruiter any more because she never
really liked that job anyway. But, what she did remember was that she
was always great at meeting new people. It made her excited when she
struck up a conversation with a total stranger. She was always meeting
people. If she went to the supermarket, she would always hold
conversations with the person ringing up her groceries. She knew all of
the people who worked at her local post office by name and knew all
about their families and things that were happening in their life. She
decided that she was going to find a job that would allow her to simply
meet and talk to people all day. She really didn’t need the money, but
she did need something to do.

That is when she got a job at the local Walmart. She got a job as a
greeter. Now, all day long she stands at the door and welcomes people to
Walmart. She LOVES it. She knows the regulars by name and is always
smiling and happy. Because of her wonderful disposition, the customers
love her. They always tell her manager how wonderful she is and what a
great job she does. They say, because of her, they keep coming back.

Cathy has found something that she is excited about and uses it to serve
others. Her warm personality and wonderful smile makes others feel good.
She has found her purpose, and a job that allows her to life her life’s
purpose every day.

She isn’t the owner of Walmart. She is an employee. And because she is
doing what makes her happy, she is probably a lot richer, in a lot of
other ways, than the actual owner.

Find what makes you happy. Think of how you can use it to serve
others—AND GO FOR IT.

Living your life with purpose may not make you rich, by monetary
standards, but it will always make you rich in spirit.

Dawn Fields is a motivational speaker, author and coach. She has an amazing way of reaching you with her down-to-earth style and her ability to make the impossible seem possible. Sign up for her FREE weekly newsletter by sending a blank email to mailto:yourlifespurpose-subscribe@topica.com.