Things have been pretty fun around the INMED office lately. Dr. Comninellis just returned from his annual trip to Angola, we have a new team member who will begin working with our students, and we had a board meeting last Thursday. We’re gearing up for the next year…starting to plan the next Exploring Medical Missions Conference…even have a theme already…but you’ll have to wait until October to find out!
One of the favorite things that we sell at INMED is the “INMED T-shirt“. It’s a blue (my favorite color!) shirt with the INMED logo on the front, and on the back it has the quote: “You must give some time to your fellow men. Even if it’s a little thing, do something for others - something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it.” - Albert Schweitzer
This quote is one that really challenges me…as a person who’s grown up in the church, I’ve experienced the culture of “serving others” ever since I can remember. However, I’ve found that serving others often becomes a self-serving (at least for me) effort of trying to gain attention and approval from those around me. In those moments, I’m not really serving anyone else…I’m only using the “act” of serving as a means for approval from others. And that’s why Schweitzer’s quote is so challenging to me…the emphasis is on doing something for someone else that results in no benefit to myself. When was the last time I gave of myself in a sacrificial way purely for the others benefit? I’m reminded of a Friends episode where Phoebe tries to prove to Joey that she can do something for someone else with no benefit to herself…but she has such a hard time coming up with something that she doesn’t get any benefit from.
So, what then should I do? Should I stop doing good for others all together unless I have 100% pure motives? That doesn’t resonate quite right. After all, if we didn’t do something until we felt like we were doing it for 100% pure motives, I probably wouldn’t do much of anything for anyone ever!
I think my conclusion is that I need to ask the Lord to distract me from myself. Left to my own nature, the world will revolve around Me, Myself, and I. But with the Lord’s help, I’ll begin to look beyond the mirror and start to love others as Christ calls me to. It’s in those moments where I truly start to focus on another’s needs that I forget about myself and find the satisfaction that Schweitzer refers to…”I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know; the only one’s among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”
What about you? Why do you serve others?