Nicky Patton

Introduction to Servant Learning and Volunteerism

9/22/2020

Personal Reflection Paper

The idea of service and volunteerism is not straightforward to me.

What does it take for an action to be an act of service? For example, do you

have to receive no compensation in order for it to be volunteering, or can it

still count as that if you are receiving a stipend? What about if it is required

by your school or another program you participate in? Does it count as

service if you are doing something for a friend or family member? I think

about all these questions, because on paper it doesn’t look like I do a lot of

service. I’m not an active member of any community organizations, and I

don’t participate monthly in Feed my Starving Children sessions. I was,

however, raised to be generous, whether with my time, money, or any other

resource.

When I was growing up, my parents always gave. They were

purposeful in modeling tithing, were there for their friends, and got to know

the homeless people in our neighborhood by name. Because this generosity

was modeled to me as a child, it is something that I picked up as well. My

parents’ generosity was rooted in their faith. They told us Bible stories

about the poor widow who gave the only money she had, and about Jesus

washing His disciples feet. They told us that just like Jesus, we should give

what we have to others, because it makes God happy.

 My service and generosity are very much motivated by my faith, just

like my parents’. The first Bible reference that comes to mind when I think

of this subject is Luke 12:16-21, where Jesus tells the parable of the rich

man who built many barns to hold all his items. This reminds me that

whatever we hoard on earth, whether it’s our money, our time, or our

possessions, we will not be able to bring any of it with us to Heaven. I hate

waste, and the idea that some of my resources might go to waste because

they can’t come with me to Heaven is a huge motivation for me to use what

I have for others.

A second Bible verse that comes to mind is the parable of the talents

in Matthew 25. This story talks about three servants who are given some

talents from their master and are trusted to be good stewards. In the end,

the servant that was the best steward of his talents had them multiplied. I

think the biggest concern people have about serving or volunteering is that

they don’t have time. While there will always be only 24 hours in a day, I do

believe that God multiplies your time when you give it to Him. He might do

this by making your time serving so meaningful that it is a time of self care,

and as a result, you no longer need to take a long bath on Saturdays. He

might also do this by giving you good friends wherever you serve, so that

you find yourself engaging socially not needing to set up events with your

friends every evening. Finally, I believe that if neither of those situations

happen, God will still give you whatever you need to keep doing what He

wants of you.
 Right now it is particularly hard to imagine how I could increase my

serving. Whereas I normally serve at my church, I recently moved, and

haven’t even had the opportunity to visit a church in person, let alone

become involved. In the same voice, many other opportunities for service

are just now opening back up to the public, and have limited hours or

limited capacity for volunteers. I think my best chance at giving my time

back to God right now is to continue to give it to those I meet - whether this

is through getting coffee with one of my RAs because she’s struggling with

a resident, or stopping to talk with the sign-holder on the corner about his

favorite type of muffin so I can bring it to him next time I see him.

It’s hard for me to measure exactly how much I serve. While I know I

am serving in some ways, I also know I could serve more. I believe God

blessed me with many resources that He wants me to share with His other

children. For me, this is enough motivation to step up my service.