Merriam-Webster says in part:
1 a : the occupation or function of serving
1 c : contribution to the welfare of others
4 : the act of serving
Now that we have the “official” definition out of the way, let us consider service from a spiritual point of view. We gain “brownie points” by performing service to other life. And it is not just life at the human level that does this, or receives services from other life, plants and animals are also both givers of service and the receivers of service.
“Plants give and receive service?” you ask, “how can that be, plants can’t be up doing things.” First of all, all plants take in carbon dioxide, one of the waste products of animal metabolism and give off oxygen. And that is certainly a service because without oxygen, we humans would not be able to live.
But their service goes much further. Consider a radish or a carrot. The service starts with service that they receive. A human prepares the soil in which it will grow and then plants the seed. Both of these are services that are received by the plant, even before it has sprouted. Then the human makes sure that the plant is watered and has proper levels of fertilizer so that it can grow. The human may also have to provide protection against insects.
OK, that is a fair amount of service that the plant has had, but what service other than giving off oxygen does it give? It gives its life by being used as food by the human. And that is service.
Other plants also furnish food as part of their service, a tomato plant or an apple tree or a watermelon vine will furnish many fruits for the human to eat. The sugar maple will give its sap to be used to make maple syrup. Or the pine tree will give its sap to make turpentine or its body to be sawed into lumber.
And some plants such as house plants or flowers simply give pleasure although some flowers also produce nectar that bees gather and turn into honey.
How do animals furnish service? Depending on the animal, in many ways. A cat or dog may furnish companionship. And a dog can be trained to perform other chores. Some animals give service through use of their muscles, such as a horse. Some give food, such as milk or eggs and some give their bodies to be eaten as food. And of course they all receive service from humans by being fed and cared for.
Service does not stop with plants and animals. People also furnish services. This series of articles is also a service. People perform service not just to plants and animals, but to other people as well. Some good examples are the minister that helps the members of his congregation, or the nurse who does a little more than she is getting paid to do simply to help a patient, or the person who sees another having difficulty and offers aid.
By performing service to other life, we do not just get service in return, or gain brownie points. We actually grow and develop spiritually because of it.
Services are often done without others being aware of them, or who had performed them. And this kind of service is often of greater value than those that are highly advertised.
As we look at service and how it can affect our lives and the lives of those around us and create positive change in the universe as a whole. Let us consider how just one person can make a difference, if we hold that thought, and more people take an "active" role in service, in a variety of different ways, how much of a difference that one act could generate and change the course of not just one but have a domino effect upon others.
Joyce Chandler
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