Be a Hero – Service

Nothing really compares with giving. The joy it brings and the ways it can help others are so remarkable. Acts of kindness are many times found in service. So many organizations in the USA are powered by those who give. Some give money, some serve with time, and others serve with their talents.

I found myself during my junior year in college on summer break headed on a plane to Romania. We were going to help in an orphanage, visit gypsy villages, and host weekend festivals for the town’s children. Several others and I reported as a team ready for service. It didn’t exactly go as planned, much as things do when you travel. We spent hours of time waiting for transportation. Our host had also put in a few tours of the countryside and one that included visiting Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania. We were there for about three weeks, and by the end of first week, we felt a bit fruitless like we had done nothing but sightsee. We had so much down time that we even had a few nights to play pranks on each other. Let’s just say, I will never forget eggs and tuna fish being smashed in my hair for all eternity. The night I will always hold close in my heart was when we visited a gypsy village. It was the poorest of the poor near where we stayed. It took an hour or so to drive out there. Garbage and human waste filled the ditches around the small homes that stood side by side in the beautiful, lush countryside. We spent time with the most beautiful children. We brought them food and other provisions. Their clothes were torn, dirt smeared their cheeks, but to me they revealed true beauty. I felt so alive with them. They were very grateful, affectionate, and pure in their gratitude. That night is still very vivid in my memory.

Something happens in our brains and our hearts when we serve. It is cemented inside of us as true good in this world. When we become part of ventures that serve others, we are true heroes. You don’t have to travel to another country for these powerful, impactful moments. There are so many ways to serve in your own backyard and community. You could pick up trash along your road, offer free babysitting services, volunteer at the library or another place of interest, mow the neighbor’s lawn, be the neighborhood dog walker, or wash your parents’ cars. The ideas are limitless.

Think about your favorite movie hero. What is their motivation? A reward? Attention? Promotion? No, the desire to help people leads their every decision. How do you want to help others? You can sit down with your parents and brainstorm a variety of ways to serve others. Local churches and food pantries have many opportunities to plug in and be of service. The greatest benefit of serving to me was to see how great the big picture of life was. I realized I only a small piece, but I could do great things with service. I was able to focus my attention off myself and help others with problems much greater than mine. Maybe one day your adventures in serving will take you to places you never imagined! A local chiropractor in our community has traveled with organizations that provide chiropractic care to overseas communities. She has continued to travel with them and discover new ways to use her gifts to serve those who are less fortunate. It is an intense joy to see people step into these opportunities to perpetuate a servant attitude.

Be a hero and start the cycle of service and giving in your life and involve others. Service is much more fun to do together. Once you start, you won’t want to stop! It becomes a habit that you want to integrate in your life. In other words, we were made to give. We were made to serve. It is better to give than to receive. Receiving ends with you while giving starts with you and continues indefinitely.