Find Your Purpose: Volunteer

We made it to another Friday! As we wrap our week, I hope you had many opportunities to practice our motivation this week: generosity. I also hope that this weekly practice will lead you closer to discovering more about your purpose, and what better way to show generosity than being a volunteer!

I guess I should say that our efforts should show us how we can serve multiple purposes. We are all multi-faceted, with lots of different interests, hobbies, gifts, and knowledge to share. Sharing ourselves through volunteer activities is hard work, but the rewards are endless.

Whatever interest you may have, there is an opportunity to match. For a couple of years, I volunteered in our area’s Botanical Garden. Sure, pulling weeds is not the glamorous, but being in that beautiful garden before it was open to the public was magical. Quietly working, immersed in nature, coffee and pastry close at hand for breakfast. What could be better?

After the park opened, cheerful people would stop and ask about a plant or for tips to use in their own gardens. My favorite day was when the elementary kids would come to visit. The look on their faces when we pulled a carrot out of the dirt was priceless! Almost always at least one kid would say, “I thought carrots came in a can!” I look at those faces of wonder and imagined we planted the seeds of a gardener or two!

What is your favorite hobby, activity, or cause? Sometimes local efforts can turn into a nationwide campaign. Read some examples of this in my post Inspiring Stories of Reaching People.

If you need a place to start, I suggest Samaritan’s Purse. Bob Pierce and Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, founded this organization. I encourage you to visit their website. It is truly amazing the impact they have worldwide! Anytime there is a natural disaster, they will be one of the first on the scene.

Whether close to home or worldwide, look for ways to volunteer and the results will astonish you!

“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” Romans 12:6-8