True Service

The desire to serve humanity, which is daily becoming more prevalent, is a commendable sign of the times. It springs from a generous wish to assist in alleviating the miseries of mankind, to have some part in bringing in a better day. All too frequently men engage in the activities of life merely for self-advancement, for the purpose of gaining something for themselves, to satisfy some selfish ambition, to succeed for the sake of success.

That there is a great awakening in this direction throughout the civilized world is manifest on every hand. The thousands of organized philanthropies, each of which has the purpose to minister to some specific need of humanity, are splendid examples of the operation of good in human consciousness. But in order that such activities may reach their highest possibility, that is, that they may render true service, their purposes must have their source in the same spirit of Christ which animated the Founder of Christianity. Who could doubt his high purpose to alleviate suffering, to assuage grief, and to bring peace, plenty, and happiness in place of misery, want, and distress.

How important it is that those who are actuated by the desire to do good should have a proper concept of what true service is! They should learn the application of Jesus’ words to his disciples on the occasion of the Lord’s Supper: “He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.” Whoever would truly succeed, then, must win his way through service, through ministering to his fellow-men; for truly to serve men is to serve God; and, conversely, service to God is service to mankind.

Sometimes our efforts to do good, to render true service, seem to bring weariness and discouragement. This is because of our failure to understand the divine source of our strength, to recognize that strength, capability, material means so far as they symbolize good—all good—have their source in God, the infinite Mind. Service thus rendered will not deplete one either in strength or in substance. Mrs. Eddy makes this very plain in “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” (pp. 79, 80). “Giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us,” she writes; and she adds this important statement: “We have strength in proportion to our apprehension of the truth, and our strength is not lessened by giving utterance to truth.”

To apprehend the truth, then, is our necessity, both in order to insure that our efforts be given the right direction, and that we be not impoverished in our service. Good may be served in humble as well as in high places. We may not justifiably excuse ourselves for failing to serve good by the thought, Were I only in another’s place how much good I could do! Right where we are is our place to begin true service; and if we are faithful, we shall be sure to receive the reward of him who is faithful over even a few things. But we must make the beginning by being faithful ourselves; that is, by faithful service in the activities to which we are related, however few or unimportant they may seem to be. Every activity may become important as an opportunity to make manifest the qualities of the perfect man.

How shall we begin? How may we truly serve? The first requisite is right thinking. If our thoughts are right, our deeds are sure to be righteous. Christian Science is helping an unnumbered host to begin true service through pointing out the necessity for right thinking, and the method by which it may be attained. Making clear the need to change our thought from a material to a spiritual basis, that is, from matter to Spirit, Mrs. Eddy writes on page 248 of Science and Health, “We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives.” And she urges, “Let unselfishness, goodness, mercy, justice, health, holiness, love—the kingdom of heaven—reign within us, and sin, disease, and death will diminish until finally disappear.”

Surely nothing could be more direct in the way of instruction. Holding to the true model and the divine idea of Truth, Life, and Love, mortals will lose something of selfishness, of greed, of malice and false ambition, gaining the desire to do good by being good.

Service undertaken from pure motives is true service; and it serves the double purpose of blessing the doer as well as him to whom it is rendered. When the desire to serve is the incentive, and wisdom guides our steps, we are blessed indeed, in the opportunity to assist in establishing the kingdom of good. That our good deeds are often misunderstood and criticized should never deter us in well—doing. The persecutors of Christ Jesus pursued him even to the cross: so the Christian worker to—day may suffer persecution from the malice of so—called mortal mind but panoplied in the armor of right purpose and armed with the single desire to serve God by truly serving men, we may go forward fearlessly in the assurance that no seeming power of evil can ever destroy one iota of good or defeat God’s purpose to manifest His infinite goodness. Out of the fire of persecution come purified aims and ambitions, for only Truth can stand. The purified in heart see God. Whatever purifies our thoughts clarifies our vision. Seeing clearly, we shall serve righteously.