Kneeling Questions to Consider
What have been among the most positive experiences of serving others for you? What did you do? Why did you do it? How did it help others? How did it make you feel?
Have there ever been times when you served out of obligation and you didn’t really want to do it? What did you do? Why did you do it? How did it help others? How did it make you feel?
How was “serving others” framed for you growing up? How was it tainted with “shoulds”? How did that impact your desire? You attitude? Your experience?
When has service come especially easy for you? Why? In those situations, why was/is the “should” diminished? What was/is your motivation?
How might you set yourself up for a more life-giving-and-receiving orientation toward kneeling in loving, helpful service toward others?
Who is your world are easy to serve? Who are more difficult for you to serve? How might changing our vision and motivation alter our capacity to serve them in ways that benefit yourself and the “challenging” person?
Putting the Process to Work...
As you begin your week, consider all the people with whom you will interact. Get them in your mind, and pray for them, asking God to bless them and bless your encounter – which is always informed and aligned with shalom. Doing this helps us envision our week differently. Do the same before you start each day, considering who you know you’re going to encounter as well as those you don’t. Pray for eyes of love and grace and a heart to follow suit. Pray for them as well, that they might be blessed. Pray for attunement to the Spirit of God, to be open to the nudges of shalom. Keep tabs on the experience in a journal – you’ll be surprised how alive your faith will become when you pay attention to what happens when you are open to being in the flow with God.
If you are able to offer yourself for a service opportunity, do the same as above. The mindset or heartset that we take into an experience radically shapes how we handle ourselves and how we assess the experience. I am certain it makes a difference to those we serve as well.
Tip: if someone thanks you for your act of service, don’t say you’re doing it because of your faith – it makes you look like a Shallow Hal who wouldn’t lift a finger if God didn’t tell you to.
What have been among the most positive experiences of serving others for you? What did you do? Why did you do it? How did it help others? How did it make you feel?
Have there ever been times when you served out of obligation and you didn’t really want to do it? What did you do? Why did you do it? How did it help others? How did it make you feel?
How was “serving others” framed for you growing up? How was it tainted with “shoulds”? How did that impact your desire? You attitude? Your experience?
When has service come especially easy for you? Why? In those situations, why was/is the “should” diminished? What was/is your motivation?
How might you set yourself up for a more life-giving-and-receiving orientation toward kneeling in loving, helpful service toward others?
Who is your world are easy to serve? Who are more difficult for you to serve? How might changing our vision and motivation alter our capacity to serve them in ways that benefit yourself and the “challenging” person?
Putting the Process to Work...
As you begin your week, consider all the people with whom you will interact. Get them in your mind, and pray for them, asking God to bless them and bless your encounter – which is always informed and aligned with shalom. Doing this helps us envision our week differently. Do the same before you start each day, considering who you know you’re going to encounter as well as those you don’t. Pray for eyes of love and grace and a heart to follow suit. Pray for them as well, that they might be blessed. Pray for attunement to the Spirit of God, to be open to the nudges of shalom. Keep tabs on the experience in a journal – you’ll be surprised how alive your faith will become when you pay attention to what happens when you are open to being in the flow with God.
If you are able to offer yourself for a service opportunity, do the same as above. The mindset or heartset that we take into an experience radically shapes how we handle ourselves and how we assess the experience. I am certain it makes a difference to those we serve as well.
Tip: if someone thanks you for your act of service, don’t say you’re doing it because of your faith – it makes you look like a Shallow Hal who wouldn’t lift a finger if God didn’t tell you to.