Not done yet

(A quick side note before I start is needed. Danielle, I noticed the other day that you have destroyed me in the unofficial and in my head posting competition. I mean 173 to 63 isn't even fair! For a while, I thought I could keep up, but the "curly one" has made it impossible. She's doing way too many cute things for me to counteract with by my own thoughts. I concede and admit defeat. Well played.)

Anyway, humbling myself by giving up was not the purpose of this post. I simply had to get it off my chest because it was wearing me down. With a new spring in my step I regain my focus...

I spent the last week living in the aftermath of my encounter with Habakkuk. To be brutally honest, it messed me up. The Spirit humiliated me and closed my mouth. Sadly, it has been a long time since I allowed the word of God to do some significant reconstruction on my life. There have been passages here and there, but not an entire book each time I picked it up. God showed me just how alive and active His Word is. It has the power to completely devastate our lives, along with the ability to pick us up afterward. Sometimes the devastation lasts longer, and we are forced to patiently wait for the rebuilding. I thought God was working on the rebuilding process, but quickly found out there were still areas left to be demolished.

One of the demolition sites revolved once again around my classroom, more importantly my outlook. Sunday's sermon focused on Christians being called to a life of service to both God and others. The key passage was Jesus washing the disciples' feet along with Matthew 20:28, The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Obviously, I am fully aware of Christ's servant nature during His ministry. It's hard to read the gospels and not see that message bursting through the pages. However, it's very easy to forget what our service should look like. In my case, I successfully adopted the concept of service as my job. I thought my position automatically made me a servant. I didn't think any effort was needed outside of my responsibilities as loco parentis. Caring and comforting in the midst of teaching was serving. Or so I thought.

God's messenger reminded me of the true nature of service. It isn't a job, but an act of worship. Serving without a heart fixed to worship is not what Christ exemplified for us. Every act of service He performed was an act of worship first. His service was His expression of love for His Father and the wandering sheep. My service (if you can call it that) was my expression of earning my paycheck. It was absent of love for my Father and the precious little ones He placed in my care. As a result, all my attempts felt burdensome and unrewarding. The thought of service was like a ball and chain fastening around my arms and legs. And this type of service is not what Christ has called us to. Yes, serving can be hard, but it does not imprison or restrict. Service is our freedom!

When our service is spurred on by love, we experience the freedom Christ has gifted us. Why? Because love (from the Father through the Son) is freedom. It removes all barriers and burdens. We are no longer obligated to serve, but willingly do so as an expression of our love for our Father. We joyfully use our freedom to love Him who has loved us from the very beginning. We do this by serving Him as He sees fit as well as serving those around us. Our new vision allows us to view every opportunity to serve as an opportunity to express the freedom we have in Christ because of His great love. Service becomes our deepest desire because it's all for the One we love. Then, we can join Paul is claiming, for freedom Christ has set us free!