In the first few years after our family started our little church in the High Desert of California, the local newspaper interviewed my dad about the church. The newspaper was doing a weekend column on local voices, as one of those “people in our community” features. In a time before social media, getting one’s photo or name in the newspaper was a big deal. The published article would also help create public awareness about our young church, which was some much-welcomed, free advertising!
My heart swelled with overwhelming pride, as I opened that Sunday morning newspaper, to see a photo of my dad, sharply dressed in his white shirt and tie. My dad was in the newspaper! I read the interview-style article, and then, like a true fan, I read it again. The reporter did a great job of making him sound like himself: kind, compassionate, thoughtful, pastoral, and funny. One of the featured parts of the article in a larger, bolder font was a quote from dad, a truth that he said he endeavored to emulate in his pastoring.
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
In the decades since, I have noticed that this particular quote has been contributed to many other people, but to this day, I would like to think of it as having been said by my dad first! He has always been true to his word in this, showing he cares for others in a million ways.
I was blessed to have been reared in a household that was focused outward on others. For a long time, I naively thought everyone operated like this. Little by little, I realized, as I encountered more people from diverse walks of life, that my upbringing in an “others-focused” home was rather uncommon. I had a front row seat to learning the ministry of people by watching my parents serve others for the cause of Christ.
My dad has said over and over, “The ministry is people.” We often forget that serving God is a selfless life, wholly focused on service to others on God’s behalf, because we get caught up in the mindset of “what we think” or “how we feel.” It is easy to fall into the trap of picking and choosing what opportunities we think we deserve or what positions we feel qualified to hold. Often, these feelings and thoughts do not come out of selfish entitlement, but instead, they invade our hearts when we are dealing with life’s struggles. In the low times, it can feel like some of our talents are wasted or unused. The devil likes to make us doubt where we are or how we are serving. His intent is to make us less focused and less driven in our God-given service. He would like nothing more than for us to fizzle out or to quit altogether. We would be foolish to ignore his evil agenda or to pretend we are exempt from temptation and distraction. Wallowing in discouragement or hurt feelings is a sure way to find ourselves “pew-sitting” instead of “people-serving.”
The solution to this can be found in my dad’s quote in that long-ago newspaper article. While our God-given talents should be given to the Lord to use how He would like, it really does not matter how great we sing, how eloquently we teach Sunday School, how fun we are on the bus route, how smart we sound, or how put together we look on Sundays if people never see that we care. God can use us so much more if we would step out of ourselves–out of our pride, out of our talents, out of our feelings of entitlement, out of our insecurities, out of our discouragement, out of our hurt feelings––and just show others how much we care.
Jesus spent his whole life on Earth showing how much He cared. He was mistreated, maligned, hated, tortured, and crucified, yet He still demonstrated His love and care for people until the moment He died. Then, He continued to do so in His resurrected form. His care for us continues today and will never cease. He is the perfect example of showing care and love in the most selfless ways possible.
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant,… – Philippians 2:4-7
We do not have to live empty, inward-focused lives. The rewards of priceless joy can be ours if we are willing to serve others for the cause of Christ. Let us take upon ourselves …the form of a servant,… and determine every day to show others how much we care.
by Tracie S. Burns
