Mark 9:
33 They entered Capernaum. When they had come into a house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about during the journey?” 34 They didn’t respond, since on the way they had been debating with each other about who was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be least of all and the servant of all.”
Our focus in Youth Sunday School this morning was on the importance of being a servant of God. We talked about ways in which God calls us to serve and how, in God’s eyes, being a servant to the needs of others is what is truly great.
In the hours since our class time this morning, I’ve been pondering about loneliness. Stay with me on this to see the connection between our scripture and this subject! According to the American Psychiatric Association, an early 2024 survey found that 30% of adults feel lonely at least once a week, and 10% feel lonely on a daily basis. The numbers were higher still with younger age groups.
We have all been there at some point! As a teenager and young adult, I struggled with shyness and the resulting loneliness that can go with it. Breaking away from that fear of reaching out to others is hard work. And your end result can feel humiliating if your awkward attempts at conversation are not well received. Talk about wanting to go and hide in a hole underground! I remember years ago sitting in a Bible study group where a young woman was honest enough to state that she felt invisible. She felt that she could walk into a room full of people without a single person noticing. I sat quietly with tears of my own, knowing that feeling of invisibility all too well myself.
In today’s scripture reading, Jesus tells us to be servants – to look after one another’s needs. Reflecting back on my own life, I have felt most connected when I’ve been engaged in something that involved helping others. By teaching middle schoolers, singing in our praise team Amistad, helping at camp, or another “servant” activity, I have felt lifted out of loneliness. Jesus was truly onto something as he admonished his disciples on servitude.
I realize that loneliness has many root causes, and that it is over-simplistic to imply that serving others is a fix-all. That said though, try reaching out to become part of a ministry bigger than yourself. Connecting to others with the common goal of alleviating the suffering of another is a powerful way to find a friend!
May you have a blessed week!
Diana Kongkeattikul
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