Where Your Heart Is
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
(Luke 12:34)
I grew up in a family in which servanthood was a thread woven through the fabric of our everyday lives. Both of my parents modeled a servant’s heart, but it was really my father who taught me the joy of being a servant. Daddy was a deacon, served on various committees, and sang in the choir. Outside of church, he served as PTA president of my elementary school and often sat in hospital waiting rooms with friends in need. Daddy lived out one of my favorite verses, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:34) Truly his treasure was in serving Jesus through serving others. He loved those around him so well through his time and talents.
Jesus teaches us that we must use our gifts wisely; again, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Have you heard the test of periodically looking at your bank account and your calendar to see where you are focusing your money and time? It’s not a bad way to check in with current priorities. Things you will find on my calendar currently include the choir and Mission Committee at my “other” church, CARITAS, and Shalom Farms. One of my favorite ways to give of my time is to be part of City Church’s Nursery Volunteer team. City Church has a lot of kids—I mean A LOT of kids! I know what it is like to get little ones ready for and to the church and how comforting it is to know that there are loving, caring people waiting with open arms to watch them so parents have an opportunity to worship and fellowship. I love that I can provide that for the young families at City Church. It’s a win-win, as it also gives me the opportunity to expand my City Church family.
My kids are older, so my calendar looks different now than even just five years ago, yet many of the ways that I have given of my time involved them. I have volunteered with CARITAS for a long time, and when my boys were very young, I would take them with me to have dinner and play games with the CARITAS guests. We have served on mission trips together and served meals together. Without really consciously thinking about it, I was modeling for them what my father modeled for me.
Opportunities to give of our time don’t always have to look like a service project. For Christmas, my boys “gave” me the City Church Women’s Retreat. What a wonderful way to take time out of our regularly scheduled life and just be with others in Christ. I met so many people, and it made me feel more a part of City Church. I made a wonderful friend that Saturday afternoon as we walked the grounds together just talking and getting to know each other better. I am not sure how much “serving of others” I did, but the other women of City Church definitely served me with their gift of time.
Look for ways to give of your time, both big and small. Look for ways to share of your time as a family so that your children grow up knowing what a gift it is to be able to serve as well. Invest your time in sharing God’s love, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
(Written by Rita Nuckols)