My Philosophy of Service

This semester has been an eye-opener for me. Mostly because of my service class. For our final we have been asked to define our philosophy of service, and present it to the class. Service has taken on a whole new meaning to me this semester. And I'd like to share my philosophy, or rather my testimony, of service.

The first day of class we were asked to make a symbol out of play-dough that we felt represented service. My initial thought was a hand because that is the way we serve by using our hands. Then we were asked to start thinking about our philosophy of service. For the life of me, I could not come up with anything. My philosophy was very basic and simple. We serve because we have been asked to and that's how we show we love someone. 

Throughout the class we were asked to read certain articles and write reflection papers on them. My philosophy changed and evolved with every paper. I began to think about service in a different light. There are many more aspects to service than I have ever thought. Who we serve, what we do to serve, planned or unplanned service. All of these different things began to meld together to form my philosophy.

Now, at the end of the semester I can say I have a philosophy of service that is well-defined. But expressing it has been so difficult for me. It has become an integral part of my testimony. My thoughts on service have become so deeply personal, it's hard to share. 

I believe that service is one of the most important things we can do in this life. It is a perfect way to show our Heavenly Father that we are trying to be like Him and to become better everyday. Heavenly Father is constantly serving us, there is no end to the blessings He gives to each of us. He performed one of the greatest acts of service by sending us His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ in turn devoted His whole life to the service of others. There was not a second in His life that was selfish. He went about healing, teaching, and bringing joy to everyone He encountered. And then in His final days He gave the ultimate service, He gave His life for us. 

I am not perfect and there is no way I can ever compare to Christ's service. But that is the beauty of service. Every time I serve, I become better. Giving service most often makes us go outside of our comfort zone and do somethings we wouldn't normally do. I've found when I do those acts of service that make me uncomfortable I learn the most. That's what life is all about, learning and growing and evolving. 

My philosophy of service comes down to this. Most of the time it's not important what type of service you give, whether it's planned or spontaneous, or if you are in a group or solo. It matters that you serve. It matters that you serve willingly. It matters that you focus on the good aspects of those you serve. It matters that you take time to serve. When you serve you are acting the way our Savior acted during His life, you are doing the work that He would be doing. I really can't think of anything more great. The goal in this life is to become like Him, I think we do that through serving others. 

What do you think?