3. What is sustainable?
As a church leader, I can attest that there is nothing more frustrating than a volunteer who commits to serve, but abandons responsibility at the last minute—sometimes without any effort to make contact with the coordinator or find someone else to fill their place. This can become a logistical nightmare.
Find a place to serve you know is sustainable—a place where you can commit your time (really commit your time) over the long haul.
4. What is significant?
What you’re doing should feel significant to you and others. It doesn’t have to be extravagant to be significant, but it should feel like it is making an impact. For example, a college-age girl offers to spend one night each week with a group of children so a small group (other than her own) can have free childcare.
It’s just two hours, once a week. It’s not extravagant.
But to the parents in the group, and hopefully for her, it’s incredibly significant.
5. What is satisfying?
The crazy thing is that, when we begin to invest in the cycle of giving and serving, it is incredibly energizing. This is counterintuitive, because you’re giving energy, so how could you end up with more energy at the end?
But one of the signs you’re serving in the right place is that it is satisfying.
A parent comes to pick up his or her child from the nursery, looks you in the eye, and says, sincerely, “thank you.” It is at that moment you realize you weren’t just wiping noses—you were playing a role in the spiritual development of that parent. Investing ourselves where it matters is incredibly satisfying.
Where are you investing yourself?
