Individual Serving

<p>Good morning, Five Minute Families. Our church just had a missions Sunday. Kim and I were blessed to come share about God’s work here at Clear View Retreat. While we are much more comfortable chatting on the couch down at the Lodge than standing behind the podium, looking at the differences in the numerous people sitting in front us got us thinking about family identity and individual identity in the context of serving. </p><p>For example, here at CVR we encourage the whole family to come out and serve together for service events or ministry events. Yet, what about the mother who is passionate about helping at the crisis pregnancy center because of her own difficult past whose children are not yet old enough to participate in serving at the center? What about the father who loves to work on cars and helps the widows and other families in need whose child is disabled and would never be able to serve alongside dad in that capacity?</p><p>It may seem like a collision of family identity versus individual identity, and it could be, if a family let it. However, we suggest that the one anothering verses come strongly into play here, and that supporting one another in serving despite not being able to serve alongside one another is vastly important to the better balanced and more God-honoring family identity. </p><p>All of us have heard stories about how having just one supportive person in our lives, especially as child, can make a fundamental change in the quality of that person’s life. Now, obviously, we are not speaking materialistically here, we are talking about the realization of self-esteem and importance in God’s kingdom. He could do all of everything alone, but he includes us, and when we see our worth, we are infinitely more capable of giving Him all the glory and working even harder to bring Him honor. So, that individual who has prayed and feels God’s call to a specific serving mission must be recognized and supported. Remember 1 Peter 4:10 - “Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others,