Few joys compare to seeing others living well and knowing we had a part to play in their wellbeing. And far from being selfish or taking advantage of others merely for our own gratification, this is as it should be when we’re serving others in love. With the apostle John, there’s no greater joy than to see our “children” living in the truth.
Of course, love seeks the good of the other and we’re not immediately concerned with what we get in return. In fact, the sincerity of our love is rightly questioned whenever our chief motivation is more about stroking our own ego rather than promoting the good of the other.
At the same time, it feels good to genuinely serve the good of others. And it’s not reasonable to expect this joy to be completely divorced from our interactions, and even motivations. We’d have to be robots to simply do good without also receiving the blessings this goodness brings to our own hearts.
For instance, this is the joy of seeing our kids grow and mature and live as they should in the world.
And it’s also the joy of seeing our wife flourish after countless sacrifices and words of life we’ve spoken on her behalf.
Likewise, this is the joy we experience in seeing how our unique talents, gifts, and abilities make a difference in the lives of others.
Whatever it looks like, it’s true we’re blessed and filled with joy whenever we offer our strength wholeheartedly. And, to be sure, this is part of the natural and God-given fruit of our efforts – bringing delight to our own souls to see others come alive, light up, and thrive in part because of the life we poured into them.
We likely diminish our impact whenever we let shame or false guilt rob us of this joy.
In the end, you’ve been called to bring more life and goodness into the world. And there’s no greater joy than seeing the very seeds you planted do just this. Humbly receive this joy with gratitude.
Photo by Jhonatan Saavedra Perales on Unsplash
