who are you called to serve?

Eileen Marston explores how serving others and going outside our comfort zones can lead to spiritual growth

There are two main forms of spiritual disciplines: inward and outward. Inward practices include prayer, fasting, and meditation, whereas outward expressions manifest in actions, such as lifestyle choices, simple living, and service.

Serving can be very rewarding! It involves the intentional use of professional and personal time and resources for the benefit of others. However, the benefit may also have a reciprocal effect, helping us to cultivate our own walk with God by shifting the focus from self to others and helping us appreciate the bigger picture.
God does not want us to walk with airs of entitlement stemming from pride and selfishness. He wants his children to walk humbly, positioning us more readily to receive his grace. As his ambassadors, we are called not to be passive spectators but to actively reach out to those in need.

With service at the centre of the work we do as nurses, who does your heart go out to? What groups interest you and catch your attention? I am inspired to help those struggling with feelings of injustice since I cope with a hidden disability and have personally been subjected to unfair treatment at work

We are often drawn to supporting people within our comfort zone. But as I was writing this, I felt God remind me that we should not then ignore the groups we feel less drawn to, for example, refugees, those with mental illnesses, or ‘heartsink’ patients. The Bible references leprosy on multiple occasions, indicating that those with leprosy were one of the most disadvantaged groups in ancient times.

So, when asking ourselves what areas of service we feel drawn to, we should keep an open mind and pray for God’s direction, mindful that he may take us to new places; places we are not necessarily naturally drawn to.

Often the spiritual or emotional growth we are looking for can be found in the things we turn our eyes and ears from because it feels too overwhelming, scary, or hard. Facing discomfort, challenges, and obstacles, as opposed to remaining in our comfort zones, can, with faith and prayer, cultivate deeper understanding of our relationship with God. It can take us to new and exciting places we never thought possible. The ‘heartsinks’ may lead to the ‘heart-links’ necessary for healing and maturation. This is found only through the courage to embrace unfamiliar diversity.

Service brings opportunity to manifest God’s character to glorify his love, mercy, and goodness. Not only may it bless the receiver but also the Server, so, as we read in Proverbs 11:25 (Revised Standard Version), ‘…the one who waters will himself be watered’.

Eileen Marston is an adult nurse working in Oxford.