Over the last year I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit. I serve my family, and sometimes it feels refreshing and fulfilling, and other times it feels like I’m a servant. I take orders largely from someone less than three feet tall, and subhanAllah, she can be quite bossy. 🙂
In our culture, there is such a negative connotation with the word serve or servant, for good reason. There are very dark places in history that give this word such baggage, so it’s interesting to me that BlogHer chose to use Serve as their theme for the NaBloPoMo theme. For me, it serves as a reminder that there are positive aspects to serving others.
In sha Allah I will be remembered by my children as someone who was generous to them. Not necessarily in monetary favors, but with attention, love, and compassion. In order for them to feel this, I must serve them. I can only hope that it is appreciated because although I don’t do it for the recognition, it is hard on the heart if it isn’t recognized.
The test in the day to day becomes controlling the ego and allowing myself to be okay with serving those around me. So often, the culture around me tells me that staying home to support my family is not a respectable endeavor. When we’re having a particularly hard day with lack of sleep, tantrums, or just general growing pains, it can be hard to remember what an important role it is to serve the family that surrounds me.
Serving is necessary in all societies and cultures, whether we like it or not. If we all did everything for ourselves, we wouldn’t have time for all the other things in life. One must serve another in order to serve another, and another, and so on. Hubby goes to work each day to serve at his workplace, so they can serve their clients, and they can serve their customers. I support Hubby by serving him. I support my kids by serving them.
Serving isn’t just putting food in front of them. It is being mindful of their needs and wants, and trying achieve these before it is even asked. I can’t serve everyone all the time, but I can try to meet as many needs as possible while we live this short life together. It’s a reminder to myself that these days pass by all too quickly and working a supporting role is just as necessary as the one bringing home the paycheck.
When I get the right mindset about it all, it is an honor to serve my family. It is an honor to support those around me to in sha Allah reach their highest potential. And it is an honor to serve my Lord and Maker in each day.
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The older my children become the more I feel that the time I have invested in them is priceless. I would not have it any other way.
That’s a great way to put it. Thank you for the encouraging words!