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How does serving heal?

When we strive to truly serve others we are not seeking to fix something that is broken or help someone who is weak. Instead, we are choosing to serve a life that is whole, a life that is made in the image of God, a life that is the living Icon of Christ himself. 

Rachel Naomi Remen in her article, Helping Fixing or Serving?, states that fixing and helping are work of the ego, but serving is work of the soul. Where helping and fixing can leave wounds, serving can heal.

“We serve life not because it is broken, but because it is holy”

When we see our lives and the lives of others as whole, we stop serving with ego and begin to “serve with ourselves, and we draw from all of our experiences. Our limitations serve; our wounds serve; even our darkness can serve…The wholeness in us serves the wholeness in others and the wholeness in life.”b

Serving heals by recognizing the wholeness and holiness of life.

As we continue our journey of lent, let’s challenge ourselves to surrender to a mindset of serving, that it may bring our communities strength, renewal and healing.

Read the whole article here: Helping, Fixing or Serving?  By: Rachel Naomi Remen