Expanding Your Territory...

How do you do that? How do you look beyond your own issues, stresses, debt, work schedule and even your search for fun and really see where you can help someone else? Show someone else Gods love through your actions. It's hard to do. It is for me anyway. I get caught up in my own life and feel like I don't have time for others outside of my little family unit sometimes. But, some part of me always wants to reach out. I haven't ever been the type of person to lead. I'm more of a helper...an assistant...a servant, if you will. A servant sounds so lowly and degrading doesn't it? Isn't that what we're supposed to do, though? Serve others. I think that is what God wants me to do. I have thought so for a very long time.

The first time this servant mentality became apparent to me was very early in my faith walk. It was probably more than 12 or 13 years ago and my cousins Denise and Marsha and I went to Carthage Missouri and visited the Precious Moments Chapel. I decided to buy a bible at the gift shop. The artist who designs the Precious Moments figurines and artwork, Samuel Butcher, was at the shop that day and I asked him to sign my bible. He signed the bible for me and wrote the following scripture:

^{Isaiah 58:10}

and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

I didn't tell the other two girls but I spent the rest of the evening thinking about this scripture and how it felt right for me. It put into words what had been in my heart...helping others. Well, life moved on, as it does, and I never really did anything big with this revelation but it was always there in the back of my mind. I have never forgotten the scripture and have referred to it many times as my relationship with God has deepened. I've tried to live my life with this thought...How can I show the love of God in my actions? I haven't always been successful. I've had my selfish moments. I've also been a little too persistent in my offer of help and was turned away. But there have been moments...moments when I wasn't really intentionally looking to help someone and it happened...my territory expanded.

Expanding my territory. The gratitude journey I'm taking this month helps with that expansion. When I'm grateful for the blessings I've been given and see the joy in the little things, I'm able to expand and see beyond my own boundaries. I hope you can see that in your own life too.

A Prayer for expanding your own territory...

Whatever I do, things great or small
Whatever I speak or frame.
The glory may I seek in all,
Do all in Gods name.

--Anonymous

photo courtesy of flickr.com