If you have signed up to serve, you might be excited, nervous, or feeling a bit like a fish out of water. Good news!… it’s normal. Here are some tips to help you develop confidence as you serve.

Gain knowledge…be sure you have the information you need and that you have an understanding about your assignment. It’s ok to ask questions, and to ask for a simple job description before your time of service. Be sure to attend any training sessions before the event. Smart leaders will attempt to over communicate, what, where, why and how.

Exercise…confidence grows through our experience of loving and serving others. Simply put…the more you serve…the better you serve.

Find a place…there may be an event when volunteers just show up, or arrive late; the instructions may seem sketchy; people are rushing to meet timelines; setting things up, moving here and there the energy is high.

The show up events can feel a little like being out of control, chaos. We prefer to call it organized excitement. Flexibility is  the name of the game. Leaders do have a plan, and usually know what they are doing. (note:be patient with new leaders they are learning to lead and are in process.)

The key to press through this stage of the event is to actively seek to find a place of service.

People focused…remember people are always much more important than the task at hand. In the midst of serving… remember… it’s all about building relationships and revealing Jesus to the people we serve.

Attitude…have you ever been served by an uptight aggressive person? I have.

Tip: before the event it is important for you to do some personal prayer prep, to pause and think… Why did I signed up? Ask God to help you care for others, and to help you to serve with a good heart. Chose to wear a smile, and to allow your love to be real.

Paul writing in Philippians chapter 2 talks about having a proper serving attitude. He says, in your serving:

Don’t be selfish…as you serve don’t be focused on your feelings and your needs, but choose to focus on the needs of others.

Be humble…begin to think how you can effectively express Gold’s love and grace toward the people you are serving. Perhaps your expression of humility will be a kind smile, a calm voice toward and aggressive stressed out person, or a warm look toward someone who looks out-of-place. Sometimes it looks like a gentile hug to affirm a kid, or an informative answer given to a nervous question.

Bottom line…How do you learn to serve? By serving. Serving others generates a healthy other-centered-ness. Consistently serving others is one of the ways God brings health and healing into our lives.