This I Believe

Serving Others Becomes a Way of Life

What is my purpose in life? I believe my purpose in life is to serve others. I serve others not because I have to, but because I am following what my heart desires to do. Serving others has become a way of life for me. However, it has taken me awhile to realize that life is more than just focusing on myself and the goals I want to accomplish.

In the eighth grade, the teachers offered that if each student completed a certain number of community service hours, the entire eighth grade class would be able to have a banquet at the end of the school year. With this motivation, I willingly volunteered at school functions and fundraisers.

I also did a lot of community service during high school. But what were my exact reasons for serving the community? To be honest, I did community service only because I had to. I had to complete 100 hours of community service in order to graduate from Sacred Hearts Academy and 160 hours in two years in order to get confirmed.

At this point in my life, I saw serving others only as an obligation. I did not serve others just because I wanted to. I did many kind deeds, but I did not do them from the heart. With the mindset of completing the needed hours of community service, I was not able to feel the real joy in making even a small difference in the world.

It wasn’t until after participating in my first church retreat in my junior year that I realized what my purpose in life is. My experience at the retreat was remarkable and unforgettable. The people who served me on this retreat were actually the same age as I. There were many that I did not know, but each person showed me so much love and care. They showed me the kind of person Jesus was.

Because of my first retreat, I decided to serve on one as well. I decided to serve because I wanted to share the same experience I had with others, who are struggling to find God in their lives. The feeling of making a difference in someone’s life through small acts of kindness is unexplainable. It just feels so good knowing that I have the power to make a change in this world, a world filled with hatred, animosity, and suffering.

I finally found the source of my true happiness, which is serving others with my entire heart and soul. Ever since my first retreat, I have served six church retreats and helped fundraise money for the Saint Joseph’s Church expansion. I was an altar server for one year, and at this present time, I am a lector at the 5 o’clock Mass every Sunday.

Not only am I involved in church, but in my senior year of high school, I was chosen to be on the school’s campus ministry L.I.F.E. (Living In Faith Experience) team. I went to a retreat in California and served my fellow students in the religion department. Recently, I won the title of “Young Miss Hawaiian Island Beauty,” and I, along with the other title holders, participate in many events that give back to the community.

Serving others has become a way of life for me. I no longer hesitate to help people I may not know, and I no longer see giving back to the community as an obligation. I serve others because I want to and because it is exactly what Jesus did when he was on this earth. Jesus was humble and meek like a servant, and so I want to be a servant to others.