4 Ways to Serve Others

By Mark Pitstick, MA, DC

You, as an infinite spiritual/energetic being, chose this earth experience—in part—to serve others. Here are four aspects of doing that.

1. Helping Outwardly: You are a being of light. When you share that light, you are serving others mightily. Native American wisdom has long taught that all people have a “give-away,” a special gift to impart at the right time.

Serving others benefits both you and the recipient. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” A universal law seems operative here: you get back tenfold what you give out. As the Beatles put it, “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

Some people feel an inner emptiness due to a lack of purpose or direction in life. A self-centered life devoid of service just doesn’t feel right. The solution for this problem is simple: open your eyes and heart and see how life calls you into service.

All humanity is one big family; we’re all children of God. Serving others helps you see through the illusion of separateness. Helping one another triggers an inner knowing that we’re all in this earthly classroom together.

Matthew 5:14-16 described the wise words attributed to Jesus, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men.” You’re here to let your inner light shine. Make your life a blazing example of how bright and beautiful life can be.

2. Being Adventurous is another reason that you, as a soul, are in this place at this time. One morning years ago, I began rousing from sleep and was aware of a recurrent phrase that had been going through my head. The phrase was: this earth-experience is a totally safe and magnificent adventure amidst eternity. That’s become one of my guiding themes.

Your time on earth can be seen as an exciting adventure when you remember your infinite spiritual/energetic nature. If this life is all there is, there’s a lot of beauty, but there’s some gloom and doom as well. However, it’s an entirely different story when you really know that life is ever-changing but never-ending. That’s when the fun begins and you can enjoy life’s adventures with faith, not fear. You already know that everyone’s story has a happy ending, even if it’s grim during the middle pages.

Many people enjoy reading books and watching movies with action and suspense. It’s the same way in life. A constant sameness where nothing exciting ever happened would soon get boring. So your soul signs up to experience adventures. Every aspiring hero needs something to overcome—a mean villain or great adversity. That’s why fairytales and legends of knights are such universally popular themes. Adventure allows you to expand your perceived limits, to find out just how powerful and capable you are.

In the pioneer days, wagon wheels caused ruts in the road if they ran over the same place time after time. Similarly, you can get into ruts without challenges and change. A variety of life experiences opens you to the infinite field of all possibilities in life. And that, of course, serves others as you expand your self and our universe.

3. Growing is the next way you serve others. Source Energy/God/Life is everywhere, within and all around you. Life’s learning experiences refine you and make you more aware of this omnipresent Spirit. Then you can reflect it on all levels of your being. Needless to say, doing so serves many people—more, in fact, than you can imagine.

The collective evidence indicates that your spiritual self purposely chooses diverse life events in order to learn specific lessons. Just as you went through elementary school and junior and senior high school, you likewise benefit from life’s gradational lessons. Handling the challenges of this planet can powerfully assist consciousness raising. Difficulties help you work on your rough edges and discover what parts of yourself are not yet congruent with the Light.

Growth allows a more complete experience of God. You may need to learn patience, empathy, or humility before deeply realizing the Divine firsthand. Your soul may select difficult life experiences that aid spiritual growth in deficient areas.

When confronted by adversity, remind yourself that you volunteered for challenges that you knew would provide important lessons. You trained for life’s difficult missions just like the members of the popular TV show and movie Mission Impossible.

As you have probably experienced, life’s toughest challenges provide the biggest lessons. This physical plane is a perfect classroom for personal growth because of its density and struggles. It’s like weight lifting: to develop bigger muscles, you lift more weight more times. Challenging experiences provide empowering opportunities for developing spiritual muscles and being a blessing to others.

4. Enjoyment is the fourth way you can serve others. A Puritan work ethic persists in some cultures and makes people feel bad about feeling good. It’s important to work hard, but it’s also essential to play and enjoy life. When others see you enjoying life, they can remember they are here to do the same.

Consider the myriad experiences available on earth that some take for granted: the feel of rain drops on your skin, the sound of waves on a lake or ocean, views of sunsets and sunrises, smells of freshly baked bread, tastes of fresh ripe fruit, the touch of a loved one’s caress, notes of beautiful music, sights of a baby smiling, fragrances of fresh flowers, sensations of chocolate melting on the tongue.

Life, whether on physical worlds or in spiritual dimensions, is full of exquisite richness and wonder. Why not enjoy the entire spectrum of creation?

Joy is also a compass to guide your self through life’s obstacle courses. How better to know that you’re on the right path than to follow what feels good and gives you joy? Feelings provide immediate feedback, like the old “you’re getting colder, you’re getting hotter” find the button game. Feeling enthusiastic—which means “filled with God”—means you’re getting closer to your optimal balance. Living from a place of inner joy isn’t selfish; it’s the ultimate way to serve others from your highest state.

As always, let me know if I can assist your earth-experience so that you can serve others more powerfully and enjoy this wonderful journey.

Mark Pitstick, MA, DC is an author, holistic chiropractic physician, clinical psychologist, frequent media guest, and workshop leader who helps you know and show your magnificence in body, mind, and spirit—no matter what is going on around you. Visit his websites at www.soulproof.com and www.radiantwellness.com for free radio shows, e-mail newsletters, and articles. Contact him at mark@soulproof.com to schedule Soul Proof Experience workshops for your church/group and ask him your toughest questions.

 

 

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