I know that there are tasks that I do that are my responsibilities; they have a significant benefit for others in my life, and doing those tasks is important to them. I am not motivated to do those tasks because I necessarily enjoy them but because of what they do for others. There is a deep satisfaction in being a faithful man and doing those tasks when needed. Being motivated to be faithful in doing these kinds of tasks is what the Bible calls being a servant to others.

Jesus said of Himself, “I did not come into the world to be served, but to serve and give My life as a ransom for many.”

As a person moves from being a two-year-old baby to a 75-year-old man, there needs to be continual growth in character so that we are more and more motivated in life choices by a “servant’s heart.” Having a “servant’s heart” doesn’t mean that we simply go through life doing what others want us to, but that we choose to do what they need.

Periodically, I hit stages in my life where I start feeling a strong sense of being overloaded. I am not usually really overloaded but struggling with motivation. The “why” has gotten cloudy in my thinking. If the “why” moves to “have to,” “supposed to,” or ” you need to,” I get to feeling tired, and I start procrastinating on tasks that I used to do with great enthusiasm.

I want to move through life doing the desires of my heart, not obligations or duties. They can be the same activities, but the “why” has gotten refocused and cleared up. It is easy for our “self” to focus on ourselves instead of others. The shift is subtle and usually hard to detect, but it is a constant pull in all of us, requiring periodic mental tune-ups. It is a self-talk issue as we remind ourselves that Jesus is the Lord of our life and that we serve Him by serving others.

Jesus said, “When you do what you do for others, even the least important of them, you do it for Me.”