1 John 3:16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
I heard a preacher the other day say "The root word of miser is miserable. If you find yourself short on joy, open your hands in service to others." What a counter-cultural thing to say and believe. It seems to me that if you're feeling down and blue, one should focus on their own self-interests: read a book, go fishing or hunting, travel and escape the madness, go out and party - whatever your interest, you should pursue it to "pull yourself up by your bootstraps and get over your issues." Yet this guy is telling me that being a miser, (one who selfishly keeps all they earn), is miserable.
I know when I'm in a season of extreme busy-ness, its hard to get excited about volunteering to spend my remaining time in service to others. Yet Jesus tells us to "lay down" our lives for others. In fact, in John 15, we're told that our joy is only complete when we obey God and Jesus goes on to give us one command: love one another.
I find this time of year following the extreme joy of the holiday season when the days are short and cold and its neither fishing nor hunting season, a time that can be kind of blue. Perhaps this is the time to seek God's guidance as to how I'm to reach out to others in service and love.
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