My sons are currently 13 and 11. A few years ago they wanted to make some money. I told them, “Be faithful with little chores and then we’ll talk about taking on more responsibility.”

So, we started with vacuuming the house. “Do a good job. Be faithful with the task, and don’t make me bug you about it. Maybe next year we’ll mow the lawn.”

They were faithful. They did a good job, so we started mowing our own lawn. “Do a good job. Be faithful. If you do well, we’ll talk about mowing other lawns in the neighborhood.”

Last year, we mowed three lawns (plus our own) every two weeks. Each day we mowed, I tried to give a small “business tip” for them to learn. I hope to share more of these tips in subsequent posts but here is how one such conversation transpired:

ME: “So, guys, before we get started, I want to ask you something. What business are we in? In other words, what do we do?”

[I got a confused look from both of them. As if to say, “Dad, that’s a stupid question!” I waited a few seconds and finally got an answer.] 

LUKE (age 11): “We mow lawns. So, I guess we are in the lawn mowing business.”

 ME: “Good answer Luke, and it’s a logical one. But, I’m looking for a different answer. What do we do? Or, maybe, why do we do what we do?”

 [They were still a bit confused so I continued.]

ME: “You see, we are in the business of SERVING PEOPLE. That’s what we do – we serve people! No matter what you do in life, you’ll find yourself serving people. We are in the ‘people’ business. We have to take care of our people, and we do that by serving well. That’s why you knock on the door when you arrive at someone’s home, to let them know you have arrived. Additionally, you also let them know when you are about to leave, and ask, ‘Is there anything else we can do? Any way we might be able to serve you while we are here?’ You want them to understand that it is our privilege to serve them.”

You see, we believe in the Bible. I want my sons to understand biblical truths, and that “Life is NOT all about YOU!” Even Jesus Christ, the very son of God, said, “I came not to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). If Jesus came to serve, and I want to live a life like his, then I need to serve…and serve well.

What do we do? We serve.