Serving Others

 

May my body

Be a prayerstick

For the world.

            --Joan Halifax

 

As people of spirit, many of us see ourselves called to be of service to others.  Although this commitment is often formally built into traditional and non-traditional spiritual life, experiencing this call is usually a natural outgrowth of a life of spirit.  This calling can manifest in different levels of service:  in service to the world; in service to the community; in service to loved ones; in service to one’s self.

 

When you choose to serve the world, you offer up yourself to practice healing action for everyone and everything on the planet.  For some of you, this spiritual practice includes social action; for others, it is funding important causes.  By serving the world, you are reminded that although you get caught up in your own life, overwhelmed by the day-to-day demands and expectations, the entire earth is in need of support, healing and action.  I have one dear friend who has organized a group of psychotherapists to train people in Sri Lanka so that they can provide counseling for people who are still traumatized by the tsunamis of a few years back.  A couple of my friends are involved with bringing peace among religions.  I, myself, am working with a friend to address concerns around Islamist terrorism.  It’s a valuable practice for you and for others, to participate in some way in serving the world.

 

Serving your community is another way to engage in spirit.  Some of you may participate in community non-profit organizations; others serve on city councils, community boards, neighborhood committees or in a church, center or synagogue.  You also may choose to serve your community in intermittent activities; I live in a neighborhood where everyone is a newcomer, and have invited everyone on my street for a get-together.  Many of them are delighted to have the opportunity to meet their neighbors and to connect with others; it can be difficult for many of us to extend ourselves and to one degree or another, reveal to others who we are.

 

One of my favorite ways to serve is to serve those closest to me.  I have many opportunities to be of service to my husband, and because I can serve him from the place of deep love and gratitude, I am in the role of partner and wife, and also bow my head to him for his patience, love and understanding for me.  When I cook for us, or listen to him, or encourage him, or give him a spontaneous hug, or tell him I love him, I am being of service.  When I ask him if I can help him with anything, or when he’d like dinner, or ask if I can bring him a cup of tea, I am being of service, and also expressing my appreciation for him.  About once a week I also invite my aunt and uncle over for dinner.  We eat, play cards and although I invite them because I enjoy them, I know they are also grateful for the playful conversation, good food and time together.

 

Finally, I believe you are called to serve yourself.  Although this is self-serving, there are different ways of perceiving service to the self.  First, you can consider how you might meet your basic needs, so that you can continually be available to spirit and others.  Eating, sleeping, exercising, and spiritual practice are ways that you feed your soul; finding ways to bring “play” into your life can feed you, too.  You also feed not just your everyday self, but these same steps feed your higher Self, the part of you that dwells in compassion, gratitude, serving the rest of the world and honoring spirit.

 

That is the beauty of being in service.  When you feed or serve yourself, you feel called to serve others.  And when you serve others, those actions feed you.  Serving provides a synergistic, deepening life experience that feeds you, those you love, your community, and the entire world.