Why Should We Serve Others?

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Why should we serve others?  Serving should be selfless and there are countless reasons to serve others that enrich their lives tremendously.  These are some of the benefits that YOU receive when you serve others.

What exactly is service, and why should we serve others?  The Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines service as “contribution to the welfare of others.”  To take that even further, “welfare” is defined as the health, happiness, and fortunes of a person or group.  So basically, anything you are doing to help contribute to someone else’s health, happiness, or fortune, can be considered service.  No matter how small of an act, it is still service. 

Now that we know exactly what service is, let’s explore the question of “why should we serve others”? You may be surprised to discover that most, if not all of the reasons why we should serve others, actually benefit YOU, sometimes even more than the person you are serving. 

There are countless reasons why we should help others.  In this post, we are going to explore some of the emotional, social, physical, spiritual, and intellectual benefits we receive when we serve others.

This is a blog post dedicated to answering the question of “why should we serve others?” 

 1.  Emotional Benefits of Serving Others

There are so many emotional benefits of serving others.  Service creates more peace and happiness in your life. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” 

 

Studies have shown that service can ease symptoms of depression and stress.  I was struggling for a time with depression and one of the only things that seemed to help me was to do service for others.  Service can be the best distraction from your own problems or worries. When you are busy helping someone else, there isn’t time to think about your own issues. 

 

An old Chinese proverb states, “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”  Serving others can be the fastest way for you to feel joy. 

 

As we serve others, we develop our talents and passions.  Doing so will help build confidence in ourselves.  Service can also help you learn how to handle failure better, and feel useful to others.  It is greater to give than receive, and service helps you to be more grateful for the things you do have.  Service is also a great way to express gratitude. 

2.  Social Benefits of Serving Others

There are countless social benefits of serving others, as serving someone is one of the easiest ways to gain a friend.  I saw on Facebook one morning, that a neighbor was frantically searching for a babysitter.  She is someone that I knew, but wanted to get to know better.  I decided to volunteered to watch her two little girls all day while she went at work. She had so much gratitude in her heart when she came to pick up the girls.  She immediately asked what she could do to serve me.  She volunteered to help drive my kids to their sporting activities, if I ever needed help.  I gained a friend that day.  

 

I once saw a lady post a meme on facebook that said something along the lines, “I keep hearing it takes a village to raise a child.  Do they just show up, or is there a number to call? I don’t think they can find me.”  This made me laugh, but then got me thinking, the village doesn’t just show up, YOU HAVE TO CREATE YOUR VILLAGE.  And how do you create it? By serving others, who then will turn around and serve you right back.

 

By serving others, you become a better citizen, and strengthen your teamwork skills.  Your bonds with others grow and you begin to encourage each other.  You feel a sense of community and pride.  You teach each other how to serve.  

 

When I graduated with my master’s degree, a lady I was getting to know through our children being friends at school, brought me over some sparkling cider.  It was a simple gesture that meant so much to me!  She went out of her way to congratulate me.  A few months later, her and her entire family got sick, and because she had shown me how to serve, I showed up at her door with dinner. Your relationships with others are strengthened as you serve each other.  

 

Another time, when my children were much younger, and I was working full time from home and going to school, a friend showed up at my door to clean my house.  It was the kindest act of service that someone had done for me in a long time, and it brought me to tears.  Our relationship was strengthened immensely that day.   

3.  Physical Benefits of Serving Others

The physical benefits of serving other people are incredible.  Studies have shown that service can reduce stress, lower your blood pressure, reduce mild depression, increase energy levels, increase your productivity, and increase your lifespan.  Wow, I don’t know about you, but I want all of that in my life!

 

Another physical benefit of serving is that it can keep you physically active.  When a lady on my street had hip surgery, my children and I walked her dog every day for weeks while she recovered.  Do you have family members or neighbors who are moving?  Helping them clean out their homes and/or hauling boxes all day is another great way to serve, and stay physically active.  

 

In the winter time, after it snows, head outside with your snowblower and/or shovel and help clear off your neighbors sidewalks and driveways.  It’s a great workout, and you will feel more connected to your neighbors as you serve them, even if they don’t know it was you. 

4.  Spiritual Benefits of Serving Others

If you are trying to grow spiritually, serving others can help you experience miracles and help you to grow in your relationship with Christ.  In Mark 12:30-31, we learn that the first commandment is to love the Lord, and the second is to love thy neighbor.  

 

Sometimes service will take us out of our comfort zone, and God will help us to see new potential in ourselves.  We can also feel His presence as we serve others, and discover that we are all one big family in His eyes. 

 

God commands us to serve others, and when we obey His commandments, we grow closer to Him, and grow in our spirituality.  Joy and peace come from obedience to God.  Service to others can also open up their hearts to Christ, as they feel His love through you. 

 

When we serve others, we are following Jesus’s example, becoming more like Him, and showing His love to others.  Matthew 25:40 informs us that when we are serving others we are serving Christ.  We can be His hands here on earth, as we listen to the spirit to guide us on how we can serve others. 

5.  Intellectual Benefits of Serving Others

Have you ever considered what type of intellectual benefits there are from serving others?  Serving others can give you new experiences and allow you to learn and grow more intellectually.  It can help you discover and develop your individual talents, see a whole new perspective of life, and strengthen your problem solving skills. Service to others can increase your capacity to understand and reason, and help you to acquire new knowledge. 

 

Service can also benefit your career, as you serve others and gain trust and respect from your co-workers.  As John Maxwell said, “The first step to leadership is servanthood.”  

 

When you are serving others, you can learn from them.  Through acts of service, such as cooking, you can try out a new recipe.  You can learn more effective ways of cleaning or organizing while helping someone clean their house.  

 

One of my next door neighbor’s was moving, and I was cleaning out her pantry for her.  She introduced me to these new canisters that she used to organize her pantry items, and I fell in love with them.  She ended up serving me, when she gave me those canisters, because she wouldn’t need them in her new house.      

 

So, why should we serve others?  There are countless benefits of serving others, and not just for the person you are serving, but for YOU as well.  Service will lead to a more overall balanced life, as it benefits you emotionally, socially, physically, spiritually, and intellectually.   

Service should be given unselfishly, with no expectations of gaining anything from it, but it is astounding how much it does benefit the person who is serving. 

Continue to practice serving others, until it becomes an attitude of life, rather than something you SHOULD do.  This can transform your entire purpose, and help you create a life of meaning and fulfillment.  We have the ability to make a huge impact in this world.  Let’s serve!

“Service to others leads to greatness.” -Jim Rohn