“The Spiritual Practice of Service” written by Rev Mykal Amaré

“First, know that who you are matters!”

Sometimes we get caught up in the busy “doingness” of life. We then can forget that who we are is our gift to ourselves and others. Intentional acts of service bring richness to one’s self and to those with whom we serve. In service we assist each other in deepening our sense of community and interdependence. Service opportunities allow us to co-create.

“Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve…. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

I believe that the Spiritual Practice of Service is not just the act of volunteering wherever there is a need for things to be done. Instead, it is giving of your time and talents to serve those in your community and doing with love and joy, whether it is your spiritual community or your community at large.

The Spiritual Practice of Service is a spiritual practice because it is a powerful way to express love. Service gives everyone more time, more vitality and a sense of wellbeing. The real reason we do it because it is who we are: generous, loving presence of the Divine as us and it is our nature to serve and assist others.

The Spiritual Practice of Service to others is a way to serve the community and ourselves by connecting with others in a fun loving and meaningful way. Just as there is a diversity of people in your community, there are many ways to put your unique skills, talents, and interests to use in a way that will reveal love and celebrate life with your spiritual community and to the world at large.

“When a person’s thought rests entirely upon themselves, they become abnormal and unhappy; but when they give themselves with enthusiasm to any legitimate purpose, losing themselves in the thing they are doing, they become normal and happy. Only as much life enters into us as we can conceive, and we can conceive of life – in the larger sense – only when there is complete abandonment to it. Let the one who is sad, depressed, or unhappy find some altruistic purpose into which they may pour their whole being and they will find a new inflow of life that they have never dreamed.” ~Ernest Holmes