Be Great. Serve

When I graduated from Northland Baptist Bible College now known as Northland University many years ago, each graduate was handed a towel that says "Be Great, Serve".  Northland pushed service from day one so the towel was a reminder for each graduate as we left the teaching, preaching, and leadership that we had daily.  For years, this towel was laid out in my home as a reminder of what my life should be.  Quite a few years ago, though, I packed it away because it just didn't have a place.  Recently, though, it has come back as my almamater when through some shaky days and some drastic changes.  I was reminded of what I was taught and what I loved about my time at the school.  Now, I'm proud to say, that my brother, Ken, is on the board of the school and through him I see great potential for the school to impact so many lives in the coming years.

Back to the towel.  Why did I pull it back out?  In the midst of a not so fun day at home with the kids, I was ready to "throw in the towel" as a little voice spoke in the back of my mind saying, "Jackie, be great. Serve.  Who are you to serve right now".  Talk about conviction??  Wow.  I looked at those two little faces and realized that I needed to serve my kids.  Don't get me wrong, I don't mean that I am to be their servant to do their every wish and command but, rather, I am there to serve them.

I then went digging and found this towel and set it in a prominent space in my dining room where I walk by it every day, all day long.  I added a photo of my boys (I've actually put a 5x7 photo of them in place of the 8x10) as a constant reminder of who I am to serve in this season of life.  As I've changed my focus I've found that my days are easier; on the days that aren't, I take a lot of deep breaths and say to myself, "Be great. Serve, Jackie, that's all" :-)