Jesus said that true greatness comes from serving others. Jesus gave us the ultimate gift of life by paying a ransom for us because we could not pay it ourselves. His death released all of us from our slavery to sin. Our salvation has given us the freedom to do right and to glorify God through loving service to others.
Ever since I can remember, my mom would send me off to school with the same phrase: “Don’t forget to build your ARK today!” No, she did not ask us to set out each day in search of hammer and nails. Our “ARK” stood for Acts of Random Kindness. At dinnertime, she would ask us how we built our ark that day. It was not done as a means of bragging about our actions or being boastful. On the contrary, she asked so that we would become more aware of our actions and words towards others, sharing the love of Christ. And in time, we came to realize how even little actions could make a difference. It also helped us to become conscious of the kind acts of others. Whether it be, flipping a penny heads up to create good luck for someone else, or paying for the car behind you in the drive through, or lending a hand to someone off a bus, or praying for a friend who is hurting, it all counts. Everything we do counts, and whether we know it or not, our actions can inspire others.
It starts with one. We change the world one person at a time. One act, one word, one look, can change the course of someone’s day. Like a pebble thrown into the water, the ripples start small, but continue to grow beyond the perimeters of our sight. Christ voluntarily laid aside his divine rights and privileges out of love for his Father. How can we do anything less than praise Christ as our Lord and dedicate ourselves to his service?
We must never underestimate our ability to serve. Sometimes we have such grandiose ideas about serving others, but the idea of building an entire ark seems daunting. Such a task is designed for someone greater, smarter, richer, braver and more powerful than you. But an ark is built one board at a time. And each board, each nail, serves such an important purpose- without it, the ark might sink! Building our proverbial ark can actually seem so daunting that we choose to do nothing – You may think that picking up trash on your sidewalk, won’t clear the piles of waste contaminating hillsides. Feeding the homeless man on the corner, won’t help the numerous groups of hungry children, huddled in corners in tenement houses. Paying for the minivan behind you at McDonalds won’t help with their mortgage payment that was due 10 days ago. It is easy to feel that if you can’t help the many, your efforts are lost and useless. But building our ARK is not necessarily about making a difference in a huge way – it is about making a difference, as subtle as it may be, one person, one moment at a time. Mother Teresa says, “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”
My Ark started out small- but before I knew it, I felt a call to service that I could not deny. I took a leap of faith and spent a summer on a 10 week mission trip serving international students. My life became so enriched by their knowledge, culture and love that I knew I had found my calling for service to others. My life-changing experience came 2 summers ago when I again answered the call and went on a mission trip to Guatemala. My mindset, although coming from a place of service, was, unintentionally, very self-centered. It was all about what I was going to bring to these people. I thought of myself as the one with knowledge and wealth that I was going to bestow on these “needy” people. In essence, I received far more than I ever gave! These people were rich in their allegiance to each other, in their commitment to their faith, and their acceptance and gratitude for all they have or don’t have. I quickly became immersed in the richness of their lives and what I saw initially as misfortune turned out to be an incredible blessing that left me feeling emotionally rich and grateful. I went in to serve them, but they served me more than they know. The structure of my ark is taking a very different shape than what I expected as I am, Lord willing, saying YES to the World Race. A former racer, Curt Devine said it perfectly in a recent article where he wrote, “Experiencing God’s presence has nothing to do with where you are and everything to do with how you live with those around you.” This is my ark- and yours will look very different, but equally as magnificent.
So it is with your ARK – when your acts of kindness are done in love, they serve their purpose. You will find that eventually your acts become a way of living, a way of viewing the world. Jesus doesn’t just give us what we need; Jesus is all that we need. Our heart was created by Him and for Him. 2 Timothy 1:9 says, “For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time-to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.” God loves us, chose, us, and sent Christ to die for us. We can have eternal life through faith in him because he broke the power of death with his resurrection. All arks look different – some big, some small, some colorful, some of simple wood. And yet, they all sail eloquently across the water. Their magnitude does not change their purpose.
So in response to his overwhelming love, how will you choose to build your ARK?
