Everything

Everything

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. . . . Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ.

I NEVER IMAGINED MYSELF throwing a birthday party for a stuffed animal. Elise is our quintessential party planner—always looking for a reason to celebrate or bake a sweet treat—and I initially resisted her plan. But by the time she hung sparkly decorations, blew up an array of starry balloons, and wrapped a present for Rainbow the stuffed poodle, I was secretly on board.

While the girls were at school, I picked up cupcakes. When they arrived home, I ordered pizza. By 5:30 p.m., the girls and I had wrapped up a birthday bash for Rainbow, complete with exuberant singing and a candle for each girl to blow out. It was more fun than I had expected.

That evening as I tucked my daughter into bed, she turned to me with a question in her eyes.

“Mom, I thought you wouldn’t want to do the party for Rainbow.”

Catching her expression, I told her the truth: “You’re right, I wasn’t really interested at first in throwing a party for Rainbow. But I’m interested in you—and the things that interest you, interest me, too.”

The way her face lit up with joy was the best present I could have received that day.

As Christians, everything we do should be for the glory of God. In the Bible, we’re reminded that we should always be mindful about our choices—that in welcoming strangers we may actually entertain angels, that the things we choose to spend our money and time on reveal the state of our heart, and that we should look not simply to our own interests but to those of others as well. Each of those reminders point to our role as the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. When we serve one another, we partner with Jesus in the mission of loving God and loving others. Though “everything” may feel like a tall order, we can start by making the choice to show love in small ways—even if it means throwing a party for a stuffed animal.

Lord, thank you for the freedom we have to express your love by serving one another. Give us the courage and enthusiasm to do that daily. Amen.

-Kristin

One Good Step: What simple thing can you do to let someone know that you’re interested in the things that interest them?