Teaching Our Kids to Serve Others

From HomeGrown Hospitality 

I....very recently.....(last week) have started serving as a Sunday School teacher to the 2nd graders at our church. I found that it was a lot of fun and really rewarding.

The lesson plan for last week was teaching kids how to serve others.

Once Sunday School had started, kids from all grade levels walk into one larger room.

There was trash all over the floor.

The kids filed in and took their seats around the room.

The youth pastor came in, purposely tripped on a piece of the trash and asked

"How did all this trash get in here!?"

He went on to ask the kids if they had noticed all this trash laying around when they came in the room.

Most said they had.

He asked why none of them had thought to pick it up.

Since...trash should not be one the floor.

None of the kids had much to say as to why they didn't pick it up.

Including my own son.

What hit me the most was at the end of the youth pastors talk with the kids, he said:

"Every time you do something to help someone else...without thought of how you will be rewarded, you are honoring God. Think about how you can honor God every day."

It made me think about how I serve others and making sure that I'm teaching my kids the importance of serving others too.

Showing them how to honor God.

Here are a few passages that I've been reading about serving others....

Romans 12: 6-8

Matthew 5:14-16

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven."

Philippians 2:1-4

"Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also to the interests of others."

Mark 10:45

The scripture goes on and on about how Jesus wanted us to serve each other, to think of others before we think of ourselves and to follow the gifts of serving that were given to us.

My heart is serving the less fortunate. That's where I find my joy. I feel like I do a number of things to serve others. I don't find myself seeking out opportunities like I should, there is certainly more that I could be doing.

Ashton (my oldest) has a huge heart for those that are sick.

My youngest, Colton, is 4 and way too young to know what his gift is yet...but it certainly won't hurt anything to show him how the rest of us can serve others every day.

By showing them how their dad and I can serve others can help them discover their own gifts.

I already have a few ideas in mind of things they could do...

- Pick up trash found in our streets or sidewalks while we're walking around the neighborhood

- Helping sick friends with meals

- Mowing the yard of a neighbor that's having a rough time
Find 30 more ideas from Meet Penny

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HOH, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Dolan Diaries, Beyond the Picket Fence, Live Laugh Rowe, Living Well Spending Less, The 36th Ave, Truly Lovely, Sincerely Paula, 504 Main, Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons, Chic on a Shoestring, Creative Geekery