Expectation is the root of all heartache. William Shakespeare

It’s amazing how often we set ourselves up for disappointment with unrealistic expectations.  In our dream world of anticipating wonderful things, sometimes we forget other factors preempt our assumed measure of control and almightiness.  In other words, what we think will happen and what actually happens can be two different things.  How we deal with that reality and the assigned disappointment varies with all of us.

For the past six years, a team of people have been involved in a fund-raising effort on behalf of two Greater New Bedford Christian groups – the Salvation Army and Mobile Ministries.  Aside from the significant amount of money we raised to help them serve the least, last, lost and lowest of us in our local community, a host of other valuable things have occurred.   New friendships have been made, political agendas have been put aside, the media has been more than helpful, and the general community has benefitted in a tangible way.  As wonderful as these outcomes are, there is one lesson I’d like to share that stands out as most vital.  Here it is ….

Back in 2015, when we first introduced the idea of conducting a Serve-A-Thon, neither group had a real grasp of how it would work.  In theory, however, both liked the concept enough to trust us to move forward.  Most of us are familiar with Walk-A-Thons or other thons where people get sponsored to walk, ride somewhere, or do something for a cause.  A Serve-A-Thon is similar in that people don’t walk or ride; they get people or businesses to sponsor them to serve in a needed community area.

Here is the crux of what struck us as the standard or starting point.  Both the Salvation Army and Mobile Ministries leadership, mutually exclusive of each other, said the same thing in terms of what they expected from our group effort:  Anything we did to help them would be great!

In that, all pressure was removed from our team in terms of an amount we had to raise or anything along that line. Instead, the scriptural blueprints found in “Whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. (Ecc 9:10) and Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Cor 10:31) connects us God’s way and guides our cooperative effort.

Right from the start, the vital lesson we’ve been taught comes directly from God’s game book and this additional verse hammers it home: Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord you serve – Jesus Christ. Col 3:23

So, here we are in 2020; completing our 6th Annual Serve-A-Thon.  In spite of the negative influence of an unprecedented viral pandemic, our bottom line this year, as usual, far exceeded expectations.  Maybe there is a great cause in your locality for you to get involved in as well.  If so, let’s remember, anything we do to help would be great.  There is no expectation root of heartache with that agenda.  Rather, it’s a matter of our serving heart – pure and simple!     http://www.lift-in-love.org/

Acts 20:35; Eph 4:12; Gal 5:13; Luke 6:38; Matt 25:35