Who Will I Thank and Serve Today?

I’m about to say something counter-cultural. Humans are not inherently good. We enter this world with a natural tendency to be selfish and self-centered. We don’t want to be subordinate to anyone else, and we don’t like the feeling of submission. We don’t want to serve others and ultimately desire final authority over ourselves. We want to have it our way. We set out on a course of self-exaltation and self-determination.

Therefore, being good is something that is learned. Being good requires changing the state of the human heart. I’m not talking about the organ that pumps blood to every part of the body, but rather the place in the body where will, sadness, happiness, gladness, kindness, and joy begin. It’s the place where true and meaningful things are rooted. The place where dreams and foundations are planted. The place where the things we say, the things we do, and the decisions we make come from.

Changing the state of the human heart starts with one simple question: Who will I thank and serve today? By asking, answering, and acting on it daily, it will become a habit. It will transform what’s desired in the head and make it operational in the heart, provided that’s what is desired. Remember, it goes against our natural tendencies and must be intentional.

Imagine if everyone in the world started every day asking this question and acted on it. There would be billions of people going out of their way to tell someone else how grateful they are for them and serving their needs in some fashion … mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual. There would not be random acts of kindness but intentional acts of kindness. Billions of intentional acts of kindness habitually repeated daily would solve all the world’s problems.

Hey, a guy can dream, can’t he? This dream can come true, and it all starts with one simple question.

Who will I thank and serve today? Would you mind joining me in making that a daily habit?

This post was originally published on June 14, 2020, and is republished today with minor enhancements.