Am I serving the Kingdom to my full capacity? This question has been rolling around in my head for the last year. In every season of our lives, we as Believers, are called to serve God’s Kingdom and love others through the process. Every season looks different for each person, so how do I know that I’m doing it the right way? Someone once told me that I was saying the wrong prayer when asking God to show me His desire for my life. Instead of asking for Him to reveal my next move, I should instead ask that His Kingdom would replace the worldly Kingdom I’ve built for myself. Even with all good intentions, if I am pursuing answers for myself and not talking to God about the decisions I need to make, then I am not pursuing the Lord’s will for my life. I truly believe that when we commune with Him daily, and we allow the Holy Spirit to reside in us, then the answers we are searching for won’t seem so far away. When we are talking with Him daily and involving Him in our convoluted thoughts, we are pursuing His heart’s desire for us.
As a single woman who works full-time, I find it difficult to be intentional with the time I have. It can be extremely tempting to come home every night after work, eat a quick dinner, not do anything productive and watch TV until I go to bed. It’s important to find rest, yes, but God has not called me or anyone else to a life of passivity. He has called us to serve His Kingdom and use all the gifts, skills and resources He’s given us to do it. So, my prayer this past year has been to ask God most days, “How can I serve Your Kingdom to my full capacity?”, because if we’re honest with ourselves – every day has to look different. This shift has helped me recalibrate my mindset and take each day to find new and recurring opportunities to serve Him.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 says,
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”
I’ve been convicted of this. How much of my life have I spent living for myself when I say I am a Christ-follower? How many decisions have I made that haven’t started with asking for God’s guidance? How many days have gone by that I’ve said no to opportunities to serve another person because I wasn’t in the mood?
Each season looks different for all of us and I think our Christian culture tends to compare ourselves to others when our seasons look completely different. I’ve struggled with feeling like my capacity was greater when I was younger, but can’t seem to do the same things I used to be able to. Instead of comparing, we need to alter our mindsets to discover each season’s new capacity. In my current season, I try to listen to the Lord’s discernment about how to spend my time. Some weeks, it looks like inviting a coworker to dinner and talking about what’s going on in their life. Other weeks, it looks like taking a little girl in foster care to her dance class because the rest of her family is sick. Every week, it looks like meeting with a group of college girls and being someone they can feel comfortable talking to. Whatever my week looks like, the Lord is always speaking to me and reminding me of the countless opportunities in front of me to serve others and serve His Kingdom. I don’t want to sit idly by and say no to the chances He gives me – I want to be part of the story God is writing. So, am I serving the Kingdom to my full capacity? My own unique capacity is constantly changing, so I will continue to turn to God and rely on wisdom from the Spirit to see the ways I can serve. I hope that you will do the same.
Carryn Osborn
Carryn is a part of our Christ’s Church family and serves as a host with our creative team and Foster Care Communities. She is the Connection Lead at Schuber Mitchell Homes and enjoys planning events for her coworkers. Carryn loves to travel, spend time with her nephews, and play pickleball!
