Recently, I was out walking and ran across Santa. I snickered to myself, and ready with my cell phone camera, I begged him for a snapshot. He smiled and said he's always being asked to "play" Santa, "I'm retired. That sounds like work. God Bless those who are willing to do the work." I thanked him and pondering his words as I continued on my walk, "It sounds like work."
I work hard for Encouragers, but I don't consider what I do to be merely work. I see what I do as providing a service to others. I serve my staff who work very hard for this organization. I serve the universities who entrust their students to my supervision and training. I serve my clients, and I serve my community. Heck, I was born to serve. But, service comes at a hefty price. When you serve, you give a piece of yourself away. Sometimes, if you're not careful, you can give yourself away completely and there will be nothing left.
Look at all the heroes we've come to love; Batman, Superman, Thor, Spiderman, Batgirl, and Wonder Woman, just to name a few. They serve others in need and we love and honor them in return. We want to grow up to be like them so we become police officers, firefighters, and military families. We are therapists, doctors, and nurses. We are teachers, judges, and politicians. We serve others through charity and work in non-profits. We run homeless shelters, drug addition centers, and daycare centers. We serve not for the money, but for the honor that comes with knowing who we are and why we do it. We are servant leaders and give ourselves away.
I can't help but compare the work we do each and every day to the one day a year that Santa serves the world. He gets the sleigh and reindeer and we get the honor of a lifetime of achievement. I love to serve and will serve every day of my life. But, I also think it would be so cool to have a team of reindeer and a sleigh.