Volunteering : Serving :: Thankful : Grateful
Have you ever attended a funeral where it felt like most people were there simply out of obligation? Where even the person leading the service seemed to be reading from a script, swapping only the name of the deceased? I have.
This past Saturday at 10:00 a.m., two lives were honored. One belonged to a man I had met but knew more by reputation; the other was someone I knew well. Because I couldn’t attend both the visitation and the service for each, I chose to visit with the Collinson family on Friday evening to honor Newt—father of my friend Chris Collinson. The next morning, I attended the service for Madge Watson at Oak Grove UMC.
To say there was no sadness at either gathering would be untrue—but any sorrow was overshadowed by a pervasive, joyful celebration of two lives well lived.
During Madge’s service, Zoe M. Hicks —a friend and mentor—spoke about volunteering and serving. Her comments reminded me of an analogy I share in Gravitude: “happy” relates to “joy” the way “thankful” relates to “grateful.” Happiness and thankfulness are positive emotions, but they tend to be episodic—dependent on circumstances. Joy and gratefulness, however, linger. They are rooted in the condition of the heart.
Taking that analogy further, I realized that “volunteering” and “serving” function in a similar way. Volunteering often shows up as an episodic action—giving time or resources in response to a particular need. Serving, on the other hand, flows from a disposition of the heart. It shapes how we show up before, during, and after the act itself. You might even say volunteering focuses on the feelings of the one giving, while serving focuses on the needs of the one receiving.
Thinking through all of this is deeply convicting for me. Even as I type these words, that conviction grows.
It raises important questions:
What leads someone to feel called to serve rather than merely called to volunteer?
What makes a person joyful instead of simply happy?
Content instead of just comfortable?
Secure instead of just safe?
Fulfilled rather than merely satisfied?
I believe the primary factor is a person’s worldview—the framework of beliefs, values, assumptions, and interpretations through which they understand and navigate life. In Gravitude, Chris Carneal references Cicero’s claim that “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” If that’s true, then gratefulness doesn’t just shape how we feel—it shapes who we become.
As we enter the Christmas season, we have the opportunity to celebrate God’s greatest gifts: grace and redemption.
In episode #2424 of The Joe Rogan Experience, when rapper Jelly Roll said he was “a redemption guy” when speaking about his faith, Rogan replied, “Well, I think it’s one of the more beautiful aspects of Christianity—that it does offer you a path to redemption. A true, legitimate path where you can become a different person.”
I understand that.
Although I put my faith in Jesus Christ around age eight at Maranook (formerly Maranatha Fellowship in LaFayette, Alabama), I went through seasons where I placed more trust in myself than in my Heavenly Father. In 2001, during one of those seasons, I was driving to work on I-85 just north of Atlanta when I felt what seemed like a physical hand on my shoulder—and a spiritual whisper telling me that the road I was on would lead only to regret and loss. It was a defining moment in my faith. Even if my behavior didn’t change dramatically overnight, I felt overwhelming gratitude for being pulled back from a dangerous edge.
Regi Campbell, founder of Radical Mentoring, taught me in 2009 that “gratitude is the emotion that will sustain unselfish behavior over the longest period of time.” He explained that people may initially come to faith because of fear, guilt, shame, obligation, or tradition—but lasting transformation happens only when someone becomes truly grateful for grace.
I’ve seen this truth play out again and again.
So if Cicero was right—if gratitude is the parent of all other virtues—then becoming more serving, joyful, content, secure, and fulfilled begins with becoming more grateful.
For some, books like Gratitude Works by @RobertEmmons offer practical ways to cultivate that mindset. For others—including me—perhaps this Christmas season is an opportunity to see our faith with fresh eyes… and to rediscover the grateful perspective that leads to real life change.
From my family to yours, Merry Christmas.
P.S. It isn’t too late to order Gravitude. It won’t be published until January 6, but you can always print a copy of the book cover and slip it under the tree! https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gravitude-mark-bowling/1147037754?ean=9781636987170