Be Selfish - Volunteer « Jeff Namnum Jeff Namnum

Be Selfish – Volunteer

Weekends are great times for me. I’m lucky enough to get extra time with incredible people (my wife and kids) and every few weeks, I get an extra treat on Sunday mornings; I’m given the opportunity to speak with a group of the most awesome teenagers and pre-teens at my church.

There are so many things about this group that make them special (the kids themselves, the team of grown-ups I work with, all the incredible talent, etc) but I have to admit I have three selfish motivations in being involved:

Every time I’m with them, I learn something new. So much talent in one room, so many fresh perspectives on life, so much honesty and bravery. It’s really mind blowing.
They make me feel great. No matter how many times I screw up the Bible verse or totally forget my place or go off on some crazy tangent they’re always patient and only make fun of me a little bit. I don’t try to be super-grownup to them and pretend that I’m perfect (they’d see right thru that anyway).
Lastly, it gives me more time to hang with my kids. My daughter and oldest son are in the group and any time I get with them is precious.

I know we’re all crazy busy, some of us running on absolute empty some days. But when I take this tiny sliver of time and put it into these awesome people, I get so much more out than I put in. I walk away feeling refreshed and renewed mentally and emotionally.

Trust me when I tell you, if you have the opportunity to volunteer somewhere, be selfish and do it. You won’t regret it.