My job is pretty awesome. I get the chance to work with low-income families and students. I work with them to teach students financial literacy, and this will give them some money as well for these lessons. They have a savings account with us, which is undeniably life-changing for these students and those families.
However, I have definitely found through this job that there are families who are easier to work with and those who are not as easy or, even, sometimes, downright hard. Again, a big part of my job is teaching the students their financial literacy lessons. They are fundamental for our programming and the students cannot receive their earnings without completing these lessons. Them going to school and doing these lessons is like their “job.” Anyway, when students don’t make it to their lessons during the initial time, I need to contact the parents and arrange a scheduled make-up lesson. This has been very difficult at times.
There are also times, and this is what breaks my heart more, students who are not making it to school on a regular basis. They may be a family who is struggling with transportation or the parent/guardian can’t be around as much due to work, so the student doesn’t make it to school and they then are not doing a very good job educationally. It is hard to serve these students. They don’t make it a very easy job for me, and they take more understanding and empathy. I felt similarly when I was working as a teacher. There were many times when I felt a great deal of guilt and sadness for the students who did not have a good home life and did not make it school much or care much about their futures.
This is a good reminder for me to make sure to serve all people. When I am working at the Job Foundation, I need to remember to serve not just the students who are involved in the program, but also their families. Even when it is hard, and there are those who don’t make it easy to do the job, I need to care about serving them even more. I need to also remember this when I am serving others as a Christian. I shouldn’t pick and choose the people I want to serve or to spread God’s love with, it needs to be all people.
One verse I believe that showcases this thought is 1 Peter 4:10-11 which says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” I love this verse because it is a good reminder that we as believers and followers in Christ have been given an amazing gift. We have been given full love and have been given a full life with Christ if we want it, and now we have the opportunity to spread this love and the knowledge to others.
The challenge for this week is going to be different for each of you. The big challenge is to think about people who you are good about serving and if there are a few people who you find it hard to serve. This is taking into account your job and how you can serve others. If you are a teacher or in education, this can be how you serve your students and the families where you are currently working. If you are a nurse, this can be serving any of the patients you are seeing on a regular basis.
If there is a chance, you are a person who doesn’t necessarily see a lot of people or serve people for your job, there is still serving in your community or there is still serving those who are in your church,serving your family members, even all the ones who are not as easy able to get along with. There are so many people in the world, and there are a lot of people who are hurting and those who are needing love and service. It is important to serve all those members of the world.
This challenge means a lot to me as well. Again, I am finding there are times I don’t want to serve certain families or certain individuals of whom I find it a lot harder to serve. I know this is something I need to grow in. I need to grow in patience and in love for those who are harder to love. Because the truth of the matter is, we are all hard to love. We have all sinned against God and turned our back to Him. We have all been unkind to someone. We have all been impatient, immature, and unkind. We each have a lot of growing to do. This is why we can pass the gift of forgiveness and love that God has given us to those people we work with on a regular basis.
Colossians 3:23 Blog 