joy in serving

kha do -- a close friend of mine -- got his wisdom teeth out yesterday. i had the surgery done last week, so i guess he was inspired to just get it done and over with himself. in the late afternoon, i sent him a text message asking him if he needed anything. i ended up at his door with a pomegranate heart defender smoothie from jamba juice ("it's good for antibodies," he told me). i hung around for a while and he showed me footage of how anesthetic affects him, then we talked and i changed out his ice packs and things like that. i agreed to come back over later with sarah blackford -- one of my best friends -- so that we could help him make a short film for student ministries, which ended up being a spoof of this saturday night live digital short; i can't wait to see how it turns out.

as i was driving back to my house from kha's to eat dinner, i just thanked God for the change i've seen in me over the past couple of years. there's this thing called cardboard testimonies that a couple people have told me about, which apparently our church is going to be doing in the near future. when my dad was showing it to me, i thought to myself what i might write on my own piece of cardboard to represent the transformation that i have seen in my life. i concluded on one side i would write "indifferent," and on the other, "compassionate." this is the biggest change i have seen in my heart. in junior high and early high school, i would take those spiritual gift tests and always score low in areas like serving and helps. now, i think i would score highest there, because i find so much joy in serving others.

i texted kha because i was concerned about his well-being. i offered to get him something to eat because i know how frustrating it is to eat after that wisdom teeth surgery, especially on the first day. and besides, i figured he might want something more than whatever could be offered at home; i know that i got kind of tired of pudding and applesauce. taking the time to drive to jamba juice, buy him something, and hang out at his house for a while was not a hassle to me at all; i wanted to do it. i wanted to serve him in that way, because i care. and just the simple fact that i truly do care is an amazing testament of God's love in me, because without Him, i'm not sure that i would have cared -- at least not enough to do something about it. i think i would have been indifferent, but i'm not anymore, and that is totally God in me. and that excites me. :)