Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.                               Mark 10:44-45

Let's Serve instead of Sacrifice

Growing up Catholic, my memories of Lent always relate to considering what pleasure to give up or sacrifice in order to experience a tiny bit of Christ's suffering on the cross. I think mostly as a kid, I sacrificed or fasted from food--soda, cookies, or candy--things that I could easily give up eating for 40 days and then enjoy later. I don't remember gaining any life or faith lessons from this annual fasting.

Today as a parent of two young boys ages six and four, I am much more aware of the role that faith plays in my life and how I can influence my children to be men of God. One of the most important    lessons that Ladd and I strive to teach is God's commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. As a family, we love others through service and care for those who are next door and those whom we have never met. I have found that if you just take the time to be open to service opportunities, they will  present themselves in your community. Since we live just down the street from a food pantry, we often walk together to the pantry to deliver food items. The Hudson YMCA hosts regular blood drives and also has free childcare for members, so I can take the boys to play while I give blood, and they get to see how easy it is for me to serve others through something that is free for me to give and necessary for others to live. I love to cook and bake, so when we have friends or family who have a new baby or when there is a HOME meal at Bethel or bake sale at school, I make a double portion of our family's meal or make an extra loaf or two of pumpkin bread, and we deliver the food to whomever needs it. I want to be a loving and accessible adult to all children and youth, and so I serve both our youngest son, Adam, and the other preschoolers at church and the Hudson Area Moms Group by helping to teach Sunday School or providing childcare during meetings. And after Christmas, we passed along some of the blessings we received from friends, family, and church members. The boys and I restocked the shelves of local Little Libraries with our outgrown children's books. Then in January we delivered coloring books, markers, and a specialized car seat for children with casts or bandages we received when our oldest son, Ethan, broke his femur at age two to the Gillette Children's hospital in St. Paul for other children to use.

 Above all, I want Ethan and Adam to serve their community now as children and into adulthood. As parents, Ladd and I try to model and teach a life of service for our sons. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." I believe that Christ sacrificed his life for us not to make us feel guilty about how imperfect we are, but to teach us how to be loving and willing servants to others. This Lent, I challenge you to find a new service opportunity and invite a friend, child, grandchild, or family member to join you. Serve and love others because Christ's sacrifice freed and empowered you to do it!