Faith Story by Irene Thien
My family are new in Skyline. So, although it has always been in my heart to serve, I resisted. I wanted to ‘settle down’ first.
My husband, on the other hand, kept encouraging me to join the greeters’ team. But my answer was always ‘not yet’.
One night, on the way home after attending Skyline Night, I thought about which area I would like to serve in and I told myself ‘6 months’. (As in I’ll start serving only after 6 months, which is just 2 months away anyway).
Immediately, I heard a voice asking me, ‘Says who? Say you or say Me?’
I knew, then, that this ‘waiting’ is what I wanted, but not what He wants.
And so, I decided to try out greeting that Sunday itself.
It was really light and easy. All I needed to do was just smile, shake hands and greet.
On that Sunday, as I stood at the lobby greeting people as they come in to the church, I was filled with such a joy that I had not experienced for a long time. It was supernatural.
All I did was smile, shake hand, say “Hi”. But the joy that I felt – inexpressible and unexplainable. It could only be God.
It was only then that I realised what I have been depriving myself of – the joy that the Lord wants to pour out in me.
Through the simple act of greeting and welcoming people into His house, the Lord filled me with an overflowing joy, the joy of serving.
At times, I had mistaken that my serving is “for the Lord” or “for the church”. That I serve because there is a need to meet. When, the truth is, my God wants to bless me and fill me.
A ‘joy of the Lord’ that comes when we serve Him, His house and His people.
Irene Thien