Being Intentional - Service Jar

               Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.
                                                        1 John 3:18


                           Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have,
                                    for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
                                                      Hebrews 13:1

Sometimes things I want to do come naturally and easily. Time is already carved out for them and they just happen. Other times, I need to be more intentional.

I want to teach my children how to love others well by serving them. However, with so many other things taking my attention, this often is an afterthought. Something I only do if it happens to stare at me in the face.

In order to make serving others a priority, I made a service jar. Each slip of paper has an act of service or kindness on it. When I first made the jar, I was a little overwhelmed and was rethinking my decision. I wasn't sure it would simplify my life.

But it has and I'm so grateful we are doing it. I didn't give myself a dead line for finishing the jar and we don't do them every day or even every week. While it may seem like a hassle to make it or hard to do it (we keep ours on our dining room table, so it's always there!), it will simplify your life by helping you remember to be intentional about serving others.

Some ideas to put in are:

• Compliment each person in your family
• Clear everyone's dishes after a meal
• Leave a special treat at a restaurant for someone else to find
• Pay for the food behind you at a drive through
• Make someone's bed for them
• Bake some goodies to bring to the church staff
• Sort laundry and put away another person's as well as your own
• Write a note of encouragement to mail
• Give lots of hugs today without any explanation
• Find a toy or piece of clothing to donate
• Read with a sibling 
• Call someone you haven't talked to in a while
• Take out the trash without being asked
• Take a treat to the local fire station
• Draw a picture for someone
• Play a game with others - but let them choose which one
• Clean up sticks in the yard
• Write a letter to a grandparent
• Share a snack with your siblings
• Begin a prayer journal
• Buy flowers to give to someone outside the family
• Buy a box of cookies to put in the mailbox for the mail carrier
• Leave a nice note for someone in an unexpected place
• Mail a gift card to someone (anonymously) 
• Doorbell ditch a treat
• Write a thank you letter