Serve With Gladness
By Dr. Marcia Davis-Dawkins
“Sweep streets so well that all hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, “Here lived a great sweeper who did his job well,” articulated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This encourages us to work diligently in whatever fields we are called, to do it well as if our lives depended on it and it’s the best job ever.
I recently wrote a tribute about my friend who passed away and one of the things that I vividly remember about her was her work ethic. I had the privilege to work with her as we volunteered on various church committees and board. Even when I sat, watched and waited as she worked on numerous occasions, she would be so gracious and earnest. She would organize her work so neatly. For the most part, I was simply admiring her work ethic and her beautiful penmanship.
Like my friend, we should serve diligently and faithfully in what we do – a stalwart. We should strive to be a person who never wants human recognition, works day after day, year after year in service. Those people have value, virtue and honor. They sacrifice their time, energy and sometimes, tears. While serving others is rarely convenient, it brings nourishment to the souls of the receivers, as well as the giver. I consider serving a part of me, as I love to give back to my community and to others. I have decided to make a concerted effort to give books to children who have none to inspire their literary journeys. Through imagination, reading can help to take them places they wouldn’t otherwise realize.
As educators
As educators, no matter what capacity we serve, we should serve with diligence so that we can be mentors to our students. We serve with a smile, even when the road seems rough.Don’t fall prey to the notion that only great tasks done should be accounted as accomplishments. There are small acts of service that are admirable and can make a world of difference. When you bring in a snack for the students because you know they need it and some grumble because they think it is not enough or they don’t like that particular snack – it should still rouse us to serve with a smile. We are encouraged even when we realize that our paycheck does not match the work we put in, to serve anyway. The idea is to touch lives by serving with love. As we serve, we are putting the needs and interests of others beyond ours. Most of all, we teach our students to give of themselves – because we are role models. Let the students see that you care and that they matter. As teachers we can encourage our students to visit nursing homes and read to the residents or simply just to visit them. The students will not only learn more about the residents, but they will appreciate their grandparents and other elderly whom they encounter. Overall, whatever we do to serve, we should make the best of it and not do it for recognition, but with compassion. Serving should become natural and inherent, and not viewed as a chore. We rise by lifting others, and our actions prove to our students that while they can’t help everyone, everyone can help someone.