Veritas Academy is in the throes of its only fundraiser for the year - the annual Serve-a-Thon, where students collect sponsorships for a day spent serving the local community. As serving is one of our three pillars that we strive to instill in students (along with loving and thinking), we asked some of our high school students to reflect on what they have learned through the service opportunities they've participated in at Veritas Academy. Here is Abby Wenger, current Veritas junior, and her thoughts on how this service has shaped her.
A Blog Post on Service (Not So Easy!)
When I volunteered to write a blog post on service I thought that it would be easy. Since I go to a school that promotes loving, serving, and thinking students, I should be able to write out how service has impacted me. As I thought about why we do serve versus why we should serve, I realized that I’m tempted to serve with wrong motives. We sometimes serve to gain man's approval and other times to exemplify Christ's love to us.
Serving at Home and Church
Serving in my home has shown me that I need to do so with a cheerful heart even if it's cleaning the basement when I didn’t make the mess or vacuuming when it's not my chore. I should do so because my mom cleans the house, makes food for us, corrects us when we sin, and so much more. Cleaning the basement or vacuuming can be one small way to bless her and thank her for what she does. Serving in the children's ministry at church reminds me that I need to serve not to be noticed by others but because Christ served.
The Challenge of Serving at School!
Serving in school can be a bigger temptation because I want to look good on the outside. When we are in school, we can serve by talking to those who might be quieter, helping in a class, and being respectful to teachers--even those you may find more difficult. A simple way to serve your teachers is to thank them after class. This can be hard especially if you don't prefer the class, but your teachers put a lot of time into preparing. This small gesture can mean a lot, and it only takes three seconds to do.
Veritas Serve-a-thon: The Bigger Picture
Serving has impacted me to think more about others and to not only look out for my comfort and ease. Last year at the Serve-a-Thon, the secondary school went to Long’s Park and mulched a playground, picked up trash, raked loose leaves, picked up sticks, painted park benches, and much more. During the first part, I was struggling with complaining because I didn't want to pick up other people’s trash that they could have picked up themselves. I didn't want to scratch myself picking up sticks. And I definitely didn't want to have bits of mulch stuck in my shoes. When I stepped out of my complaining bubble and looked at the big picture, I realized that I wasn't having a Christ-centered attitude and that my complaining was making me have an awful time. Once I stopped and looked at the big picture, I had a lot of fun because I got to hang out with my friends and enjoy the beautiful day. A couple months later, I was at Long’s Park with some friends, sitting on the benches that our school had painted, looking at the little kids laughing and playing on the playground that we had mulched, and watching a group of kids running around on the stick free part of the park, and I realized that I did have fun once my attitude changed. Serving has impacted me to stop thinking about myself and to care for others for the sake of Christ.
