Letting Go of Myself

On a normal Sunday I wake up, get ready for church, go to the 9 am service, talk to a couple people afterward, and then head into the two year old class for the 11 am service. This Sunday was kinda different. The day before, our youth group had taken a trip to a water park for the day so I was exhausted and sunburned. I walked in and there were already two kids crying and neither of them wanted anything to do with the workers who were in there. I thought to myself, "oh boy, it's going to be one of those really long days." Those long days where all the kids are grumpy and you're just trying to survive the next 90 minutes. 

 But then one of the little girls showed up with a big smile on her face and ran into the room and jumped into my arms. It put a whole new perspective on what that morning was going to look like. A few more kids showed up, all smiling, and we were eventually able to get the two criers to stop. All was well in the classroom and things were peaceful. Later, as I was sorting through each kids coloring papers, I was reflecting on my quick attitude change. I heard God remind me that serving is about letting go of yourself and putting others first.

 Regardless of the fact that I was overly tired and sunburned, I had a purpose that morning. I needed to get rid of my needs and my wants and focus on the kiddos and what they needed. So I surrendered myself and all my selfishness to God and put my heart into those kids and making them feel loved and valuable. In doing so, I felt more energized and I left feeling more refreshed than I usually was after walking out of that room.
 Serve the Lord with gladness!
    Come into his presence with singing!
~ Psalm 100:2(ESV)

This has always been one of my favorite verses to meditate on before serving. I need to be reviewing this more often than I am.

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