We are finishing up our study 'We Are the Body' and our final study this morning discussed some examples of what a servant is.

Before I understood this whole 'servant thing' I had bad images in my head about what a servant was. My mind told me being a servant meant being under people, getting run over and being mistreated. As I've gotten older, I've discovered the joy that there is in being a servant for someone else. The imagery we are force fed from Hollywood tells us this is wrong- that we should want to be like Cinderella: working and serving cheerfully so that the evil step-mothers get their comeuppances.

I'm afraid that even a lot of Christian women view servitude this way, placing their hope that even though they suffer in serving, that one day God will punish those who make their lives miserable. But I have to tell you that is such a limited, selfish view of God and His ways that only hurts the one doing the wishing.

The bible tells us to serve willingly, happily, joyfully! Our greatest thrill in this life should be cheerfully doing our Lord's work, even if that work entails picking up your husband's stinky socks because he's tired from working all day, or washing yet another load of dishes without help because your family is enjoying fellowship with one another.

Those are a couple of examples of some things that used to bother me to no end: I did them, but I complained and made sure everyone knew I was miserable doing them. What I learned was that if I willingly and cheerfully served my family, I actually enjoyed looking for ways to treat them. The more happily I go about my daily tasks, the more willingly my family jumps to serve me as well. Serving others has made me happy... and made my life easier. Who would have thought?!

Let's encourage one another today to live servant's lives! What are some of the ways you've learned to serve cheerfully, even in the most mundane daily tasks? What areas do you need help in learning to change your attitude in relation to?