Let’s be honest. Every child has the potential for beginning to believe you, Mom, are their personal servant. No matter, how much we make them do chores or serve others outside of the home, even the sweetest, most loving, generous child would often rather be served than to serve.
Christian parents will often turn themselves inside out making sure their children are involved in serving the Church and their communities in hopes of raising a child with a servant heart. Unfortunately, I have seen children and teens who will haul boulders in broiling heat for strangers and then will go home and become the most selfish, demanding task master to their mother and siblings.
You see the trick to true, godly service is that it comes from the heart. Not a heart that feels momentary pity and wants the “high” of helping others. No, godly service comes from a heart full of love for others. A heart willing to put the needs of others before the wants of itself. A heart that loves the pauper as much as the prince. A heart willing to serve mom, dad and siblings as much as total strangers.
One of the Bible stories that fascinated me as a child was the story of Gideon. It was amazing to me that how a man drank water from a stream determined whether or not God would use him in an important battle. Or that a young boy’s lunch not only fed 5,000 people, but became an example of how God can take our little things and make them into something amazing.
It’s funny. Every year around Christmas, articles start appearing about ways to keep your child from becoming overly greedy. Personally, I have even posted some fun ideas and service projects to do with your children around the holidays. I think many of these articles are probably penned after a parent stands in the line for Santa with their antsy child while some other child reads Santa a list longer than he is tall.