Do you spend a lot of time with yourself on your mind? Me, too. I mean, seriously, I have myself on my mind way too much.
After my husband left home two years ago, I felt such deep despair. Like I mentioned in earlier posts, I invited God into my circumstances and began a spiritual journey that I wouldn’t ever take back.
I was attending a local church at the time, but I’d only go maybe once every two or three months. Besides my family, I didn’t even know anyone else who went there. It’s kind of a big church, and I never attempted to make it smaller by joining in.
Two years ago that changed. As I began seeking God, I felt a strong desire to get plugged in to the church. I joined a Life Group, which is a small group that meets each week. I started volunteering at the weekly homeless outreach. I went on a short mission trip. I volunteered in the church office. I volunteered at church services and special events. I now help with the pre-teen group.
Joyce Meyer has an excellent series based on the verse Psalms 37:3, “Trust in the Lord, and do good.” I love this teaching of hers because it’s such simple advice. When you’re struggling, when you’re confused, when you’re hurting, when you don’t know what to do, just trust God and do good.
The first part of the verse, “Trust in the Lord,” is a biggie. I’ll write a whole other post about that. The second part, “and do good,” was newer to me. I’ve often volunteered at school and for sports teams, and I’d even volunteered at our church to package meals for their “million meals” endeavor. But this time I yearned to do more.
When our hearts are hurting, it’s very easy to turn inward. It’s natural to isolate yourself and to dwell on the negative aspects of your life 24/7. But it’s not healthy. Believe me, stepping out to do these new things was very difficult. Showing up for Life Group as the only single person was daunting. But now these folks are some of my closest and most dear friends. Going on a mission trip alone, without knowing another person, was also daunting. But I made lasting friendships on that trip. Helping with the homeless outreach was intimidating at first, until I realized...it’s not about me! It’s about helping the other person who’s down on their luck.
Connecting with your local church is a great way to meet new people who are kind, compassionate, and comforting. Volunteering to help others is a productive way to get yourself off your mind. When I’m chatting with a homeless man about where he spent the night before, my own problems become smaller and smaller.
Whatever it is you’re going through, whatever the condition of your wounded heart and soul, I’d like to challenge you to step outside your comfort zone. Get plugged in, and do good. The people you’re there to help may think you’re a lifesaver, but truly, they’re saving you.
We’re all blessed with certain gifts that we can use to help others. What’s your gift? How can you use it to help others?
Until next time...
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