My husband is a fixer. It took me a long time to realize this. I would have a problem and, instantly, he would have three suggestions for what I needed to do to fix that problem. Sometimes, I just wanted to vent. Someone out there knows exactly what I mean. These days, he will ask me: “Do you want me to fix this or am I just listening?” 

For some folks, if they can not fix an issue, they don’t see any need to get involved. For others, a problem or condition just may seem too overwhelming. Where does one even begin with some of the social injustices in this world? What if, however, we approached a need or situation as, not a problem to solve, but an opportunity to serve?

“Poverty is not necessarily an issue to solve; it is an opportunity to serve. As we go through each day, our heart’s cry should be, Lord, where would you have me give, serve, and invest myself to bring hope to the poor?” 
~Orphan Justice author, Johnny Carr

How many times have we passed a homeless person on the street and thought the little bit of cash in our pocket wasn’t going to solve their problems? A bottle of water and a “God bless you”? How far was that going to get them?

Maybe we are focused on the wrong thing. What if we just asked ourselves, “What can I do to serve this person, today?”

That should be our question in every situation.

I can not make a woman’s husband love her – but how can I serve her, today?

I can not bring that couple’s child back – but how can I serve them, today?

I do not have the financial means to help that family get out of debt – but how can I serve them, today?

I can not, by myself, solve the issue of poverty across the globe – but what can I do, today, to serve and bring hope?

Christ told his followers that they would “always have the poor” with them. Not for a long time. Not for many, many year. Always.

What if God wants us to be servers more than fixers? That removes any excuses, doesn’t it? No one can say, “I can’t write a letter to a child.” Or “I can’t give up any of my luxuries so that a child can have dinner at night.”

We can’t always fix.

But we can always serve.