I don't naturally have a servant heart. I have to really stretch myself when it comes to some areas of service, and sometimes I don't even bother to stretch -- I just say "no." But one area where I find it easier to serve is providing meals for individuals or families that are experiencing a health crisis or other challenges.
Today I planned to take a meal to a family of 6: dad, mom, and four kids. The meal coordinator at church contacted me and I agreed to provide the family's dinner. After I said yes, the woman e-mailed back to let me know that one of the children is allergic to dairy and sensitive to gluten. Okay, that's good information to know, but it really complicates planning what to make. And to be honest, if I had known about the restrictions ahead of time, I might not have agreed so readily. That confession doesn't reflect well on me, but I'm being truthful.
I'm used to planning meals to accommodate my husband's pescetarian diet, but gluten-free is outside my repertoire and, to me, dairy-free is just wrong. I don't think I could live without cheese or ice cream. : / In cases such as this, the internet and Google are my best friends. After a little bit of searching, I decided to make a baked chicken entree that sounded similar to orange chicken and also fried rice. A fruit salad and store-bought, gluten-free shortbread cookies would round out the meal.
With the menu decided, all I had to do was shop, cook, and deliver the meal. Yesterday I contacted the mom to see when they would like to have dinner. No one answered the phone so I left a voice message asking her to call me back. By midday today I still hadn't heard from her. Fortunately she answered the phone when I called again. Unfortunately she told me that someone else was already bringing a meal to their family this evening and she asked if I could bring my meal another day.
Uh, sure. I mean I have everything in my refrigerator now, ready to go, but I guess it can keep another three days until I deliver the meal on Friday. I probably need to check the sell by date on the chicken thighs and drumsticks I bought; they might need to go in the freezer for a day or two to make sure they're still fresh.
So here's where I need to be honest again. When I ended the phone conversation, I was a little ticked off with the mom, but mostly with the meal coordinator. The mom asked me if I could bring the dinner on a different day, perhaps next Tuesday. I knew the food I had purchased wouldn't last a whole week (especially the two batches of rice that my husband had made in the rice cooker first thing this morning). But I also knew that the meal coordinator had another person lined up to bring a meal to this family on Tuesday. Apparently she hadn't communicated that info to the mom . . . just like she hadn't communicated that I was going to bring a meal today. : /
I think it's great that family, neighbors, and small group or adult Sunday School members are also stepping in to help out, but with clear communication, there shouldn't be miscues like the one I experienced today. I'm glad that I was able to respond to this family's need for a meal on Friday instead of Tuesday, but I feel like my heart, not just my hands, needs to be flexible too.
One of my former small group leaders (now at home with the Lord) said that hospitality is seldom convenient. I think the same could be said for service. Chances are life will already be uncomfortably full when the phone rings and someone asks you to provide a meal, drive an immigrant to a doctor appointment, or step in as a last minute substitute for a nursery worker. It's one thing to respond on your own terms -- when it's convenient for me, when it's something I want to do. It's another thing entirely to respond unconditionally without counting the cost or inconvenience. If I want to truly have a servant heart, I need to strive to respond selflessly instead of getting hung up on petty details or trying to put my needs first.
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