I think Volunteering makes Jesus want to puke
There are a few words that I can’t stand. There are a few words that are more repulsive to me then many “cuss” words. One of those is “volunteer.” As a follower of Jesus, I can’t stand this word; it invites satan to slip in my life and create a “I deserve something” mentality.
Let’s face it, when we volunteer for something or when we ask someone to volunteer it assumes that the “act” is going to be a pain or that we are asking the person to do something they should get paid for but we are too cheap to pay them so we ask them to give their time instead. The result is we associate this word and the volunteer action with a negative feeling. Yes, we do it because we are supposed to but when it comes down to getting in the car and heading over to our “volunteer place” we think in our minds, “man, I wish I didn’t have to go and do this.” Then, all of a sudden I have created a mentality that “these people ought to be thankful I’m coming to do this for them.”
(Hold on a second, I’m getting ready to vomit…….”bluhhhhhhh”….ok, that’s better.)
As a follower of Jesus, this volunteer mentality makes me sick. Jesus tells me in John 13:15 that I am to do what He has done for me. Jesus washes the dirty, disgusting feet of the disciples and tells them (and me and you) that we should do the same. Jesus isn’t “volunteering” His time; He’s “serving.” Jesus doesn’t call me (or you) to be a “volunteer”; He calls me (and you) to be a servant. Guess what, this is a privilege. Serving is the divine invitation to follow our Master. Being a servant is a opportunity to walk in the footsteps of our leader that came to serve us so we could now serve others.
Please, don’t insult the ways of Jesus today by “volunteering” your time or becoming a “volunteer.” In fact, if you’re on the “volunteer” side of things, don’t even sign up; go and do something for yourself because its all about “you” anyways if this is your mentality.
However, Go and “serve” today; be a servant. Take Jesus up on the awesome opportunity you have today to walk in His ways and serve. Become a servant and experience the privilege of injecting God’s love into the lives of others. Being a servant is an awesome opportunity to experience life. My prayer is that you experience Life today.
Peace,
Pastor P (chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com; www.wedesiremore.com)
Dear Pastor P, as a missionary’s kid and being a grad of 2 years now, I live my who life observing people in the church. I’m not putting my experience above yours whatsoever, you could be 55yrs old, for all I know; however I’m not really enthused with your blog. I really like your servant-hood take on things, yet going as far as you did and posting a picture about how awful volunteer work is, please don’t write like that. I’m from Canada and I found this page so people do read it obviously, at least if they know how to use Google. I have not read any other of your blogs but after reading this one, if felt you’re trying to pick something apart as simple as the word volunteer, something that should be put in your personal journal not posted on the web. I believe things like this are what make the web so dangerous. This may sound like I’m tearing into you but I’m just trying to help others by saying there are something’s we should write about which is encouragement and the gospel, and there are others that are just words that just confuse more than do good. Anyway, God bless you Pastor P, I know it’s not easy being in leadership all eyes are on you, and by doing a blog like this all keyboards can be as well.
Jay,
Got your comment on my blog about volunteering and I think you missed it completely or you didn’t read all of it. No where in the gospel does Jesus use language of “volunteer”; He only uses servant. Jesus wasn’t a “volunteer” and He doesn’t call His followers to be “volunteers.” He calls us to be “servants.” “Volunteer” is language that our culture has created that is rooted in the focus upon the person doing the act instead of the act itself. I would never insult a missionary by calling them a “volunteer”; I would never insult a person serving Jesus Christ at a church by calling them a “volunteer.” I would never insult you or your parents by calling the work you do for Jesus as “volunteer work.” No where in my blog did I say that people shouldn’t give there time willingly to Jesus; in fact, I said the opposite. I said that to give that time and call it “volunteering” is an insult to the gospel. I find it interesting that someone like yourself who claims to be a follower of Jesus would post a destructive comment on my blog instead of contacting me through email first. I’m here to build up the body; not tear it down. My prayer is that you, your parents, and any other person in this world who is a follower of Jesus Christ would never look at their time in serving Jesus as “volunteering” but that we would always view it as being a “servant of the living God.”
BTW, if you can find a place where Jesus speaks and uses the language of “volunteering” let me know…..to my knowledge its only the language of “serving”
Pastor P