She said, “I am a practicing Christian.” The woman meant someone who actively lives out their faith in every aspect of life—through obedience, service, transformation by the Spirit, and love for others.*
So said my audiologist last week. What, then, does it mean to serve?
For her, it means more than being in the business of helping others, for which she is paid a non-commission salary. When we discussed the cost of new hearing aids, I joked,” I don’t suppose there is a secondary market for the six-year-old ones I have now, is there?”
This uncommonly talented woman with two young children the age of my grandchildren smiled. “No, but I work with the homeless in my free time in Hyde Park. Their hearing gets tested, and we provide and tune donated hearing aids — at no cost to them.”
This is one definition of service. Her free time is created—not an idle space in an empty schedule. An average day helping the homeless requires a 50-minute drive from her home—nearly two hours back and forth to try to repair the world. Her clients’ lives are better for it.
There are several classes of service, of which she fits into the first.
- Volunteer to provide uncompensated assistance to those less fortunate. Those who tutor students for free in schools belong to this group. Doctors Without Borders is another example: Doctors Without Borders/Medecins San Frontieres (MSF) cares for people affected by conflict, disease outbreaks, natural and human-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries.
- Doing work or advising someone else, for which you are paid or provided something in trade.
- Armed service members who choose to defend their country.
- Elected public officials take an oath to serve the people they represent.
- Servers at a restaurant.
- Bruno Walter mentioned another somewhat different service form, attempting to “serve the cause of Mozart.” The conductor felt that when he was young, he misunderstood the “depth of emotion which speaks in Mozart’s seeming tranquility and measure.” Walter’s sense of responsibility to the composer led him to wait until he felt mature enough to perform the profound Symphony #40. He was then age 50.
It is easy to take some of those who serve for granted. The bussers in a restaurant come to mind. The job requires efficiency and, to a significant extent, invisibility. Yet they serve us, have names, ideas, and emotions, and deserve an appreciation they do not always get.
We recognize those in the armed services, though it seems too little at the beginning of a sporting event. Their stories and the sacrifices they and their families endure remain unknown. From that point of view, a part of them is also invisible.
My conversation with the audiologist made me think about life’s meaning, a topic most of us have considered.
Might part of it be to acknowledge our fellow man’s existence regardless of race, nationality, or gender? Might part of it be to give him solace, hold his hand, and respond to his needs in moments of distress?
To do so does not require religious belief, although my audiologist is among the finest examples of how a grounding in faith sometimes engenders the best in people.
In part, the world is ours to make.
We have a choice. Who are we, and who do we wish to be?
I chose my audiologist because I recognized her expertise.
The next time I see her, I will also be in awe.
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*The bold description of practicing Christianity was sourced from Google and appears to have been created by AI. The italics description of the work of Doctors Without Borders comes from their website.
The top photo depicts Humanitarian Aid by U.S. Army Sergeant Kornelia Rachwal in response to the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. She gives a young Pakistani girl a drink of water as they are airlifted from Muzaffarabad to Islamabad, Pakistan, aboard a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter on 19 October 2005. The photo was taken by Technical Sergeant Mike Buytas of the United States Air Force and sourced from Wikimedia Commons.
Ah, to read this with Mozart playing in the background. Soothes the troubled soul.
I don’t believe I’ve ever heard anyone say that “practicing Christian” phrase. It says a lot.
I agree it is easy to overlook people, especially those in a service position. I must be intentional in order to recognize them as individuals. “Everybody is I.”
Thank you, Susan. Yes, we take for granted so many. But for the grace of God or fate or chance, we would be in the same position, or worse.
Yes this is perfectly said.
Thank you!
Thank you for your post, Dr. Stein. I believe you’re quite right when you say, “It is easy to take some of those who serve for granted.” Indeed, indeed. Simple things matter, like acknowledgment and gratitude — both when we’re receiving and/or witnessing acts of service. 💕
Yes, to receiving and witnessing, Vicki, as well as serving. As the old Wordsworth quotation goes, “Getting and spending we lay waste our powers.” Unfortunately, this is the American way to happiness that fails more than it succeeds, while others more needy remain malnourished. Thank you for your comment.
Hello Dr. Stein. What an inspiring post. And such a great reminder that not only should we be in awe and grateful for what they do, we should strive to do more for our fellow humans, however small or large the act.
Thank you, Belle. I’m glad you got the message I intended to send. If we look around us, we find many good people in the world, and many who we might persuade of that goodness by recognizing who they are and how we can help. Be well.
Wow – a powerful image to go with a powerful post. The world is ours to make. The example of the audiologist is a good one – what are the values that we wish to organize our lives in service of? Knowing that answer can make a huge difference in our own and in the lives of others. Thank you for the thoughtful post!
Thanks, Wynne. Though I had been her patient for a few years, I learned something more about her in my recent appointment. It had a powerful impact on me, as you also recognized.
Our society/country/world is kept afloat by countless acts of service by millions/billions of people who are nameless and invisible. Thanks for recognizing their existence and importance to us all.
Indeed, Rosaliene. Invisible and often objectified, to our shame.
Serving others is often trumpeted by certain religious people, and they wrongly assume that the non-religious are selfish and don’t serve others, yet I have witnessed some very deep acts of service, done sacrificially by non-religious people.
It seems that the drive to show kindness, to share resources of time, money and goods is within many of us in our society, regardless of faith.
I’m always glad to see declared Christians helping and serving others, instead of being barriers to them receiving tax dollar help they may need.
One could name those groups I believe you are referring to Tamara, especially at this perilous moment in U.S. and world history. Fortunately, there are others who quietly serve the needy. Thank you, Tamara.
Yes, I’m sure we know who they are! Absolutely, thankful for the millions who serve, quietly, and help our lives keep moving along!