CSI - What's yours?

Galatians 5:13 “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love.”

CSI - What’s yours?

At the beginning of one of our Sunday school classes, my husband shared with us that the CSI for the department he took over had gone from 63% to 87%. I said, “That’s great honey! . . . . What’s a CSI?” He told me it stood for Customer Satisfaction Index and reflected how happy the customers were with the service they received.

I began thinking about that in relation to our lives as mothers and wives. What would our spouses, children, friends and coworkers say about us if they were to evaluate us? My guess is most of us would not have the CSI we would wish for. It is easy to let our wants and needs take over our attitudes of what is just and fair. Serving others isn't always fair. I believe my mother told me that about life a long time ago. It was just as hard to come to terms with then as it is now, some days. Jesus said in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Sometimes we get really wrapped up in how others treat us when we should be worrying about how we treat others. Think about the way you may speak to your children when you’re “busy” or on the phone. Think about things you may say to your spouse out of anger or frustration. Think about that hurtful piece of juicy gossip you shared with a friend or coworker. Think about our Heavenly Father taking an inventory of our lives of service toward these people He’s placed in our lives. Ouch!

Thank goodness our service and good deeds are not our ticket to eternal life! In John 14:6 Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” We have hopefully already found our way to salvation through Him, but it doesn’t stop there. He expects us to live the life He lays out for us in the Bible. It is a life of service to Him and others. We are to go forth and share the love of Jesus. What better way to do this than to serve. What better way to change your life and the life of those around you than to take on the heart of a servant.