Service Witness Talk
-
2022 Stewardship of Service Witness Talk -Lindsay Will
-
Documents
-
Stewardship of Service Witness Talk
May 14/15, 2022
Given by: Lindsay Will
Thank you, Fr. Bill/Fr. Augustine. My husband, Tim, and I have been parishioners here for just over 8 years. We have 5 children ages 9, 7, 5, 3, and 1.
When Father Bill first asked me to give this talk about stewardship of service, I immediately thought of this seemingly insignificant little wooden box that sits on a shelf in our kitchen. In tiny white text the words, “Your life is not about you” are printed on this black box. It was actually gifted to my service-minded and inspirational husband and has been a guiding force in our decisions as family. It’s a gentle nudge in the right direction as I strive to make my life one long thank you note to God in gratitude for the many ways He has blessed my life. While I KNOW none of us here actually believe our lives are truly about us, this saying is a reminder of our Christian call to serve.
My stewardship journey started small and slow when we first moved here as I was figuring out how to be a working mom of two kids under two and we were finding our way in this wonderfully large parish without any family nearby. Honestly, as the kids got older and more involved, I just started saying yes in spaces I thought I might have a gift to share. As our family continued to grow, and time seemed to evaporate, stewardship became about fitting it in where the whole family could be involved, the children could help, and saying yes even when I wasn’t quite sure. Today service is a large part of our very full lives from school board, to cub scouts, to making casseroles and cookies, to sponsoring couples preparing for marriage.
For most of my life, I have resonated with the familiar thoughts around service- “the more you give, the more you receive”, the natural joy and fulfillment that comes from helping others, and, on some levels, I have felt like I might become a little more “holy”, perhaps Saint-like, if I take on more service opportunities. Well I’m grateful for the How to Holiness retreat St. Pius offered in March to reframe my thinking. I learned that holiness isn’t about doing more holy things, holiness is actually about a relationship with God and recognition of your own weakness and limitations. Holiness is where you leave space for God to fill in. When God is able to fill those gaps, you can reflect a little more of His light in your actions and service.
Our parish is so rich with generous, faithful stewards that have inspired and motivated me over the years to get more involved. This weekend is about renewing your commitment to stewardship of service. What gifts do you have to share that are going untapped? Or maybe I should ask, what can you say yes to, even if you feel there is limitation or weakness, in order to grow in holiness?
I’ll close with one last story- Before the arrival of our fifth child last year, I did a little demonstration for the first four children in order to make concrete the idea that even with the arrival of a new life in our family, my God-given love for them will only grow. So with a series of candles lined up I lit the first one to show how when we got married, Dad had all my love, which was represented by the flame. When our first child was born, I lit the second candle, using the first, to show that Dad still had all my love and now so did James. And then I lit another candle for June, another candle for Jonathan, another candle for JT, and another candle for Jack. They could clearly see that no one’s candle flame of love dimmed as they were subsequently lit. In fact, they glowed even brighter. I think the same can go for stewardship. With a holy recognition that God will do His work in our weakness, in saying yes to serving others, His love can actually glow brighter through you, because, after all, your life is not about you.
Thank you and God bless you in your discernment.