Heart of the Matter~A Heart that Serves

In our last Heart of the Matter post, we talked about having a heart ready to serve.  We also talked about serving others while still keeping our home as our priority and focus.  Here are some simple ideas:

~Involve your family.  One of the many things I love about my family is that we serve the Lord together.  We’ve always strived to be involved in one another’s ministries and to work together.  If Patrick was planning a youth activity I would be there to help organize, make the food, or just be the “extra” person to laugh and have fun.  Have your children help stuff bags full of tracts and invitations to your church, then go together and hang them on doors in your neighborhood.  When I planned a Mother Daughter Banquet, I had Patrick and Josh be the servers.  Find ways to serve together…they will be some of your sweetest family memories.

~I love to bake.  If you’ve read my blog for even a week, you’ve probably seen plenty of things about food.  God lets me use something I love to do to be a blessing to others.  People love to have homemade goodies delivered to them.  Learn to make bread, or muffins, or yummy cookies, or pop open a cinnamon roll can….the point is to show someone you care by taking time to make some goodies for them.  Something can be baking in the oven to be a blessing to others while still focusing on your family’s needs.

~Embellish a dishtowel for someone. Not too long ago I posted about making some for some special people along with the link for the tutorial.   It’s easy and can be whipped up in no time at all.  It’s the perfect gift to bring to someone to tell them you care.

~Send an encouraging note.  We have some of the best supporting churches.  One of those is Lakecrest Baptist Church.  They have a ladies group that sends me an encouraging note and gift on a bi-monthly and sometimes monthly basis.  This month they sent a wooden picture frame that had been painted with butterflies and buttons glued to it.  In the picture part, they put in a note saying that they are praying for me.  What a blessing that is to me! Someone took time to make me something and to pray for me.  It’s a two in one!  And I know it would be a blessing to someone else, too.  You might even involve your children in painting or making a small craft like a bookmark to give to others.

~Simply invite someone to come to lunch in your home.  Find someone that may normally never get invited out.  It doesn’t have to be anything fancy and your house doesn’t have to be spotless.  Give someone your time, and let your children see you open your home in service for Christ.

My prayer is that God will use my life daily for Him.  Whether that is to those in my home, or reaching out to those outside of my home, I want to be constantly serving Him.  Oh how I want that Servant’s Heart!