Service to the World

In honor of the Centers for Spiritual Living theme for this month, I am writing on service to the world. Rabindranath Tagore wrote, “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”

Truly being of service to others is one of the greatest joys. It is why we really enjoy our work when we find we are making a meaningful contribution. Selfless service, known as Seva in the Sanskrit language, is the greatest joy of all. When we’re engaged in service to others purely for the sake of being of help and from our own love and good will, there is something that comes alive in us.

Recently, I took a group from the Somseva spiritual community to a local rescue mission where we spent two and a half hours preparing and then serving over 500 meals to the homeless. Our group consisted of adults and teens and it was evident that we were all uplifted by the experience.

We all took to our service very conscientiously, more so than I see most people in their paid work. Somehow being in selfless service, helping others, ignited in us the sense that our actions can make a difference. It was evident that those whom we served were in clear need of our love and support, and most were deeply grateful for our service. It seemed that they too sensed the sacredness of our love offering.

On my previous trip to serve food to the homeless, the mission was short on volunteers and I ended up serving the bulk of the 500 meals nearly singlehandedly in the span of not much more than an hour. I remember how the somewhat overwhelming task seemed almost routine and not a big deal as I felt the significance of what it meant to those who were receiving possibly one of their only two meals that day.

The Christian scripture in Luke 12:48 says that to whom much is given, much is required. I don’t personally think this phrase is referring as much to an obligation as it is to our potential to give so much more, and to the truth that our own fulfillment won’t be complete without giving back from the gifts we’ve received.

It is where the name of the organization I founded a year ago, Somseva, derives. The “Som” is an acronym for the Science of Mind philosophy, and “seva,” as mentioned previously, is the Sanskrit word for selfless service. Somseva’s mission is to provide spiritual tools for personal and global transformation. The first part of its name, Science of Mind, is for personal transformation, and the second part, seva, is for global transformation. The Science of Mind provides powerful wisdom and tools to transform ourselves, and with our own transformation we have expanded capacity to help others and to bring more compassion to the world.

The invitation this day is to appreciate the ways in which you are able to serve our world and, where there is an opportunity to serve in a greater way, to seize upon it. You make a difference!

Enjoy the journey.

Gregory Toole offers spiritual coaching to individuals and groups who want to create and live extraordinary lives. For more information, go to gregorytoole.com.