My pastor, Dale Evrist, has declared that this year, our church would be focused on the understanding and implementation of the theme, “A New Day, A New Way” [podcast]. Really! A new day and a new way? What does this mean?

I’ve been around “church” for a long time and after awhile, it’s easy to hear a teaching like this and move on as if I already understand and know what’s being said (ahem, pride!). Fortunately, this series and theme, hasn’t fallen on deaf and prideful ears. I’m very, very, challenged by what I’m hearing and it’s causing a lot of questions, concerns and thought.

Today (Sunday), at the end of the church service, pastor Dale said something that has captured my attention all day. Simply put…

“You are not called to be served, but to serve.”

The weight of that comment came in the context in which it was presented. He offered this challenge. When you go to lunch today, you aren’t there to be served, but to serve your waiter/waitress. It doesn’t matter if they don’t serve you well. What matters is that you serve them well.

Has anyone else noticed that customer service is at an all-time low? My personal favorite is when I go through a drive-thru and not one word is said beyond what I owe. So, in those moments, I’m supposed to serve them! Folks, this isn’t going to be easy for me. Often times, the business owner in me is running over ways that their service could be improved. Apparently, I should be using that time to go over ways that I can improve my service to them. Jeez. Where do I start? I have a lot of habits that need to be changed. Honestly, my mind is resisting this change in thinking.

This methodology, approach, paradigm shift…whatever you want to call it, doesn’t stop here. Here’s a list of other areas it applies:

• Seek first to care, rather than be cared for
• Seek first to understand, than be understood
• Seek first to listen, rather than dominate the conversation
• Seek first to apologize, than to look for an apology
• Seek first to initiate conversation, than to be conversed with
• Seek first to plan dinner, than to expect that dinner is planned
• Seek first to be generous, than to expect generosity
• Seek first to learn, rather than to educate
• Seek first to ask, rather than be asked
• Seek first to give thanks, rather than complain

What is your “seek first?”