5 Reasons Accepting Service is Just as Important as Ministering
By Rachelle Campbell
I don’t know what possessed me to finish my Christmas shopping alongside my kindergartener and my 15 month old. The store was bustling with mentally and physically exhausted patrons hoping to make this shopping trip their last of the season. My cart was filled to the brim with Christmas treasures arranged in a haphazard Jenga masterpiece. My son was rambling a high pitched babble, a talent he was earnest in perfecting. My daughter was throwing a tantrum because I had told her that the lines were much too long to draw the cashier a picture.
“Have a nice day!”
There was certainly some irony in that statement, I thought, as the cashier finished ringing up my purchases. I grabbed my receipt and wobbled to the side to make room for the next customer claiming the register. I looked at my cart and sighed. I knew that my car was parked in the very first row of the parking lot so I didn’t have far to go. I calculated that all I needed to do was make the 30 foot journey and I’d be home free. I pushed my cart a foot or two, the parcels wobbled like jelly. I reassembled them and made it a foot or two more. Again, the packages shifted. This was going to take a while.
Somehow, over the sound of several dozen overwhelmed shoppers, the loud pings and bells of the registers, and over the sounds of my own children throwing tantrums – I heard a sweet and quiet voice,
“Could I help you to your car?”
I spun around and saw a young girl, no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. She had long cascading auburn hair and a heart shaped face. She was wearing a varsity hoodie indicating that she was a talented volleyball player for a local high school. I looked at my cart. I looked back at her. I looked at my children looking up at me awaiting my response and then back at my cart. I knew I could make it to the car by myself. I had handled much trickier situations on my own before, but there was something about her gentle demeanor that made me say,
“Sure, that’d be great.”
We are taught in our various church meetings and conference talks just how important it is to serve others and extend a helping hand. We learn multiple examples throughout our lifetime of instances Christ served to show His love for everyone He met. We are encouraged to pray for and seek out opportunities to help those around us who may be in need. Why is it then, that it is so hard to accept help when it is offered to us?
Here are 5 Reasons it’s just as important to receive help as it is to give it.
- It Humbles us.
Accepting help means we have to admit to ourselves that we don’t know all the answers or have all the solutions to solving a problem. This can make us vulnerable which in turn can make us feel uncomfortable. However, it means we are mature enough to at least attempt to process through difficult and uncomfortable emotions such as humility, embarrassment and pride. Like most things in life, practice makes perfect. The more we are exposed, and forced, to face these difficult emotions, the more likely we are to learn how to face them with dignity and grace. In truth, it’s okay that we don’t have all the answers. It’s alright that we don’t know the solutions to every problem that we encounter. We don’t have to do it alone. We can always rely on the Savior. The Lord has placed people in our path to aide us in his stead. Let’s not let an opportunity for another to act as His hands pass us by.
- It Enriches Everyone Involved.
Truth be told, we don’t know how much the offer of help extended to us means to the individual offering it. Perhaps the person was praying for such an opportunity to help someone this very morning. In my case, the person who offered me help was a young teenaged girl. What if this was her first time extending her hand to a complete stranger? What if a reply of, “No, Thank you” discouraged her from offering help again in the future. It can be hard to put yourself out there at any age, but especially a teenager who already has a heightened fear of rejection. Furthermore, her service enriched my life and my children’s lives. I did need help. It was much easier to get to my car with her assistance. Sure, I could’ve done it on my own. However, I probably would’ve felt stressed and overwhelmed during and possible after the whole ordeal. Instead, those feelings were replaced with gratitude, love and a desire to pay it forward the next time I had an opportunity to do so.
- It teaches us.
If we let it, accepting service from others can be a teachable moment. It can help to remind us that we are not perfect and even when we think we have it under control, we can still benefit from some help now and again. Growth means choosing happiness over pride or perfection. Once I got my children and myself situated into the car, my daughter commented on how nice it was of the girl to help us. She inquired to know why she had done that for us. It allowed a teachable moment of Christ-like love into our everyday lives. Not only does accepting service have the ability to teach and change people involved in the interaction, but it can deeply affect those who witness it. Chances are we have all seen someone help out a stranger. It can be a moving experience. Personally, witnessing such an exchange always inspires me to do to the same for another. It reminds me that there are good people out there who are doing kind things for others. It helps me to reflect on the divine mission of our Savior.
- Vulnerability and Meekness are Strengths.
The world has twisted and polluted these words so that we often feel that if we admit to being vulnerable or meek it means we are somehow submissive. However, in reality it is quite the contrary. Vulnerability allows us to develop genuine and deep relationships with those around us. The more experience we have with vulnerability, the deeper our relationships with others can be. I don’t know how or when meekness became synonymous with weakness but, it simply is not true. Throughout the stories in the scriptures we are constantly reminded of its true definition: righteousness, humility, teachable, patient, enduring, long suffering, willingness to heed counsel and the ultimate attribute of a true disciple. These are attributes that we can strengthen within ourselves when we accept the loving hand of someone with a desire to help us.
- It Fills our Cup.
Some people have created an identity where it is valid to give but invalid to receive. Often as women, we can relate to this sentiment. We are constantly giving and caring for others whether that be our spouse, our children, aging parents, co-workers or those we serve in our neighborhoods and communities. If we are not careful, we can feel overextended and perhaps even begin to resent those whom we serve. That isn’t what our Savior wants for us. When we are able to accept the service of others, it helps to fill our cup. When our cup is filled, we are better able to serve those around us with a pureness of heart and with righteous intent. We are often taught that serving others feels good. Well guess what? Accepting service feels good too.
I don’t think the sweet girl who served me that day will ever realize what an impact she made on my life and the lives of my children. It never ceases to amaze me how such small and simple acts of service can provide teachable moments and strengthen our testimonies. It is my humble desire that we continue to seek out opportunities to serve others in our homes and amongst those we encounter. I also hope that we can similarly seek out opportunities to accept service from others when it is offered to us.