"Self"-Service

One of my favorite memories from my childhood, was jumping in Mamaw Whetsel's 1963 Ford Falcon and heading into town for groceries at the Giant grocery store. On some of those occasions we would have to first stop at CD Thomason's gas station for a fill-up. This was always a treat because CD the owner/operator offered "full-service" at his station. Full service today is a lost practice, but in the 60's and early 70's gas stations had an attendant that came out to your car and filled your tank up with the amount requested. Not only did the customer get gas, but the attendant would clean your windshield, check your oil, and even make sure your tires had the correct air pressure if requested. All of that was standard operation and was included as part of purchasing gas. From there things transitioned to something called self-service which coincided with full-service, until eventually full service became something relegated to the past. There may actually be one station in our hometown, Don's Exxon, that still offers full-service as an option to his customers. In the realm of purchasing gas, self-service makes sense. A little self-reliance doesn't hurt when it relates to being able to manage your car's maintenance, yet that is not the case in all of life.

Today we live in a "self-service" culture, meaning everything revolves around self being served. Served first, with others being thought of only if self is satisfied with the service "I" have received. Serving self has become the accepted mode of operation in our society. Look around, everything revolves around "me" and "mine".  We want our kids to come in first in any competition and if they don't well it must be somebody's fault. Adults place more value on getting than on giving which is evident in where our investments are made. The more extras we possess the "happier" we are going to be. Any inconvenience that stands in the way of me or my family is mowed down to clear the path regardless of what that means to the rest of society. Social media is a prime example of the "me" culture we live in today. The platform that was created, I guess, to bring people together has become a platform for "me" to show off who "I" am and what "I" am doing. I may be wrong, don't think I am, but I just don't believe that was God's plan when He created man in His own image. 

You see this world was created in such a fashion that we are all interconnected and we all have to have each other to progress. Being successful shouldn't be measured by how much we possess, but instead by how many people we can help along this journey of life that has been given to each of us. Matthew 6:21 provides an appropriate scripture to highlight this point, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." If our main focus is pleasing "me", then how can we ever take care of those that need us more than anything we could ever need? Throughout the Bible and throughout history, the world has and will always benefit from those that placed their own needs behind the needs of the masses. No greater example of this can be found than the example Jesus provides. Service before self could have been His epitaph, if He had remained in a grave, because His life was secondary to His life's purpose of serving others. "Not my will, but Thy will be done" Luke 22:42. The dedication to serve and save others over saving His own life is the example that I want to shape my life around, not that of anyone that places all of their efforts into the satisfaction of self as their top priority. 

This week take some time to look at your schedule. How much of your time and resources are directed at serving others, not your own children that falls into "self-serving”, then stack that up beside how much of your time is dedicated to serving your own needs or more likely wants? If that equation comes up like it may in many cases then it isn't too late to refocus our efforts and our schedule. Full-service was fun and helpful in its day, but today a little more "full" service to others before self will definitely make a difference! 

Serving God through Service to Others! 

Coach Carter