As a Christian woman in today’s world, it is so easy to get busy and wrapped up in our day-to-day schedules and “to dos” that we don’t always go around looking for opportunities to serve and we may not even notice when opportunity comes knocking!

It’s always been a struggle in my own life not to “bite off more than I can chew” and become overwhelmed by the huge mountain that I’ve signed up to climb along with my regular duties as a stay at home wife and homeschooling mother. Think about it, as mothers at home, we have meals to plan and prepare, shopping to do, cleaning, laundry, errands, drop-offs, classes to teach at church, possibly schooling at home, making sure our husbands are cared for, making sure our children are cared for… The list goes on and on! Then, there are women who work outside of the home! I don’t even begin to know how they get it all done!! Talk about juggling your time! Wow!

As busy as our lives are though, we must slow down and take the time for what REALLY MATTERS the most! What really matters the most is doing The Lord’s Work here on earth to help bring others to Him! We should be looking for opportunities to serve! We as Christian women can do so much good!

I have several practical suggestions that I think we can incorporate into our daily lives and get us on the right track toward having that Servant’s Heart that we want to have.

1)       Find another woman who is in a stage of life that you were once in and help to advise them and offer support to them. In Titus 2:3-4 the Bible says, “The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.” KJV

2)       Open your home to hospitality! This one is sometimes a tough one to do, especially when we are busy and can’t catch up on our housework. What we have to understand (and believe me…I know how hard it is to let it go) is that IT WILL BE OKAY IF THE HOUSE ISN’T PERFECT!! What matters is having others into your home and what happens inside of your home while they are there.   You may never know , but you taking the time to ask someone over to sit and eat with you at your table with your family, may be the one thing that keeps them encouraged enough to stay in church! We need to consider the members of our congregations and look for those who would benefit the most from this invite and have them as our honored guests! They need to feel like the important thing was not your house being on display, but the important “thing” is them! The Bible teaches the importance of hospitality in I Peter 4:9 saying, “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” KJV and in Romans 12:10, “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, in honour preferring one another.”KJV Again in Romans 12:13, “Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.” KJV

3)       We should always look for opportunities to help those less fortunate, so that in helping them, we might influence them toward God! In Matthew 25: 35-40, Jesus taught saying, “For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. “ The people asked Jesus, “…Lord, when saw we thee and hungered, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?” KJV

Jesus then answered, “…Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” KJV We need to remember that we are to look for opportunities to help others to win their souls to God!

4)       We need to be busy workers for the Lord!! When we participate in the Lord’s work in our local congregation, we are able to find more and more opportunities to serve others in our local area and inside of our congregations. Whether it be stuffing envelopes, helping organize teaching supplies, writing cards or whatever the job, big or small, it all helps in the furtherance of His Church! The Bible teaches in Hebrew 6:10, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” KJV

I’m sure you can think of even more specific ways to have a servant’s heart, but hopefully these suggestions can get you on the right track!

Let’s all pray that we will prioritize our lives to have those servant hearts and notice when we are given doors of opportunity to walk through! Better yet… Let’s LOOK for those doors! The Bible tells us in John 14:13, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” KJV

We need to act as the hands and feet of Jesus and have a servant’s heart in our lives! Let’s slow down, pray, study and look for doors of opportunity to serve!

–Kitty Hackney