Yesterday a friend of mine named Tim and I rode up to a military base to make ourselves available to help men and women leaving the Army get ready for life after the military. A mutual friend of ours named Carl (who is a retired Major General) set up the meeting, as he has dedicated his life to serving the wonderful veterans of our country.
I do have some skills that I have learned through many years in business – both in traditional business, as well as in Network Marketing. However, I never really felt like I had anything amazing or special to offer others…
…until yesterday.
You see, the need is so great for these American Heroes (anyone who has served in any capacity in our military is a Hero to me), that they are craving help from people who have had success in life, and who are willing to serve them back by teaching how they can find success in their new post-military career.
What I find great about Serving is that it helps the recipient, but sometimes it helps the one doing the serving even more.
Years ago, as I was extremely depressed while going through a separation and divorce, I was sitting at home on a beautiful Saturday morning. A neighbor of mine named Phil with whom I went to church called and asked me what I was doing. When I said nothing, he asked that I meet him in my driveway in five minutes.
As he drove, he explained that a member of the church group that he was leading had recently gone through a horrible illness. Phil said the disease had lead the man to gain over 100 pounds in six months; that he could no longer work, and; that he and his wife were having to move, as they could no longer afford to live in their home. He said that we were going to Serve him and his wife by doing things around their home in an effort to help them get ready to move.
As you can probably imagine, I really was NOT in the mood to help someone else. I mean, here I was, in a rotten state of mind, being absolutely too absorbed in self-pity to want to do anything – much less to do some manual labor to help another person in need.
It was not until hours later, while on the return home, that Phil asked, “How do you feel now, Scott?” I said that I felt better, in spite of being tired. That is when he reminded me of a quote I heard years ago by saying, “When you feel depressed, you should leave your home and go serve someone else.”
Our family has decided to start a new family tradition. This Thanksgiving we will be serving some members of our community a meal through a local restaurant. I am excited for everyone who will be receiving a wonderful meal on Thanksgiving, but I am just as excited to show our teenage girls what it feels like to serve others in need.
How about you? Are you Serving others? Maybe it is a veteran. Maybe it is helping to deliver meals. No matter your chosen area of service, always know that…
...Serving Helps Everyone.
Thank you for your Service!
