Service to Others

I was developing a slide show presentation, which was to be used as part of Shiloh's Black History Month celebration, when I ran across a quotation from one of my favorite civil rights activists and scholars, Cornell West. He is quoted as saying, "The benchmark of greatness is finding love and joy in serving others."

Among others pictured in the slide show presentation were Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, Shirley Chisholm, Frederick Douglas, Andrew Young, Thurgood Marshall, Condoleezza Rice, Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer, Martin Luther King, Jr, Coretta Scott King, and Barack Obama. It occurs to me that all one may need to know to verify the truth of Cornell West's words are the stories of those mentioned here. In every case, greatness has been determined by the love and joy that each found in service to others, even if that service was at great expense.

I happen to wholeheartedly believe that West's words are lived out in the heroes of every culture, whenever men and women stand in defense of those who are, as Bob Jones put it in his message at Shiloh this past week, "the sheep and the lambs." Whenever human beings, of whatever ethnicity, stand in defense of the victimized, the oppressed, the helpless and the hopeless, love and joy springs from such service. Even if that service renders one a "radical," leading to recrimination, of whatever kind, that person, and the entire human community, experiences love and joy.

So I say to those who are depressed, fatigued, put-upon, tired (and tired of it), find the love and joy of life in serving others.

It is a grand irony, I suppose, to discover that the best elixir for one's sorrows, real or imagined, is not serving one's self, not locating some new self-help strategy, not the next diet fad or the newest nutritional supplement. One best serves one's self by reaching out still further in service to others. Perhaps the magic of selflessness lies in forgetting one's sorrows in the exercise of removing sorrow from the lives of those around us. Perhaps we lift ourselves as enter into the sacrifice and cost of lifting others. Maybe it's as simply as feeling a deep sense of personal satisfaction in doing what we all know to be, a priori, right and good.

I want to thank all those who took part in Shiloh's celebration of Black History Month. I learned again the core lessons of life and faith. Whether those lessons came from the books I read throughout the month - and they did - or if they came through the personal effort of those who dedicated their time, energy and talent to making our celebration a tremendous success - and it has - I genuinely treasure the simple fact that we are all in this life together. We all find benefit in the witness of those who go out of their way to serve.

"The benchmark of greatness is finding love and joy in serving others." Shiloh is doing great ministry! Thanks for all your efforts.