being of service
Photo by my mom. 💗 Young Bri and Jake, holding hands.
A big concept, especially in traditional Christianity, is the idea of laying your life down, giving it away, and only through this act will you truly find your life.
I wonder if a very simple, profound interpretation of such an idea could help us get back to the heart of it and find meaningful ways to apply this to our own lives and paths.
A couple of my favorite song lyrics on this:
“to live, you must give your life away”
and
“to lose your life for another, I've heard
Is a good place to begin
'Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it's an easy price
For the life that we have found”
I think maybe the idea of giving your life away, laying it down, in order to to really live — maybe it means you show up ready and willing to serve. You bring what you have to the table, you keep learning and honing your skills, you create your map and make the most aligned decisions you know how to as you go, and you do it all from a place of loving generosity and care for others. You see and love the people around you, the people in the world and in your life. You do your best to make something better. For them, for yourself, for all of us.
I think giving your life away does not have to be an idea of self-flagellation or subservience or persecution.
I think it can be the great joy of staying true to yourself and aligning with something much bigger than you, something that rings pure and strong and warm and bright for you. It’s the connection of being a piece of the grander story and being ready to play your part. The worthwhile mission of dedicating yourself to the work, care, love, and contribution that makes a difference is what will bring you purpose. This will bring you to life.
To live, you must give your life away.
This doesn’t mean you have to give up everything you care about or devote your time solely to others or become miserable.
No way.
What if you were so full of joy and light and life that you glowed, and that glow was a gift to everyone around you?
What if you can begin on the foundation of being willing to humbly give your best effort and being willing to make personal sacrifices for something big and beautiful you really care about?
From this place, we can live the aligned, honest lives we long for, better than our wildest imaginings, being of service to others. Of service to love, to creativity, to reaching our potential and using it for good.
Being of service means you are invested in and part of something that’s bigger than you. Being of service just means you are contributing the best of you, with heart and courage.
That’s worth showing up for, over and over again.
