4.24.22

I am coming down the home stretch of my first year as an employee at Marquette University. What a blessing it has been to be a part of such a wonderful community! One of the four pillars of the Marquette University mission statement is Service. I have been amazed by the way the people at this school serve the community of Milwaukee and our world as a whole – especially the members of our lacrosse program. One of the ways the Marquette mission statement describes service is “actively entering the struggle of society”. Witnessing the men in this program pour their hearts into service opportunities has inspired me more than they will ever know.

True service is almost never convenient, and it always costs you something – even if the cost is simply time or energy. With this being true, it has astounded me how the members of our team who serve the most are the ones who seem to carry the greatest joy in their hearts. How can this be true? How can those who are constantly pouring themselves out be the ones who have a cup that is so full? It is counter to much of what our world preaches to us. The Bible tells us it’s because we were designed that way.

In Isaiah 58 it says, “If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday… You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Augustine puts it like this, “We get lost in loving ourselves, but found in loving others.” We do not find ourselves in turning inward and seeking to get ourselves right. My answer isn’t found in me, and yours isn’t found in you. True joy and fulfillment is found in pouring ourselves out into the lives of others. So if your cup is running low, don’t look for the nearest fountain, but rather empty your final drops into your neighbors cup. From there, God will fill your soul with with an overflowing joy!

I love checklists. Checklists keep me organized and put me in the best position to attack my day. I think checklists are a great thing, and we are called to work hard for the Lord. It’s satisfying to cross off items on my list. However, I’m guilty of letting my day get lost in the weeds of my checklist. Most items on my checklist are usually about me and my own job. The men of Marquette lacrosse, like Anthony Courcelle who joyfully leads wheelchair lacrosse practice every Monday night, have reminded me that no matter how productive or successful my day may have seemed – when my head hits the pillow at night, what brings me the most joy may just be the one thing I did to help someone else with something on their checklist.

Jesus was the greatest servant of all. I once was lost, but because of his amazing grace, now I am found.