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Miguel de Unamuno was a Spanish writer, philosopher, and professor of Greek and Classics at the University of Salamanca, where he later became rector. In one of his essays, he tells about the Roman aqueduct found in the city of Segovia, in his country, Spain. The aqueduct, built in 109 A.D., remained actively carrying fresh water from the mountains to the city for eight centuries, quenching the thirst of nearly 60 generations.
Unamono writes: “Then came another generation, a recent one, who said, ‘This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long labor.’”
And so, they did. The city laid modern iron pipes to bring in water to its streets, thus choosing to “give the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest.” Their goal was to preserve this iconic historical landmark for future generations.
Instead, the aqueduct soon started to fall apart. Without the water to irrigate its bricks, the sun hitting the age-old structure dried the mortar, causing it to crumble. The unrepairable dry stones and bricks quickly threatened to fall.
Unamuno’s conclusion gave me pause: “What ages of service could not destroy, idleness disintegrated.”
[bctt tweet=”What ages of service can not destroy, idleness disintegrates. @AJC #TuesdayMotivation #Tuesdaythoughts #service ” username=”PatHolbrook”]
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
These words are recorded in the 20th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the Christian New testament. This chapter narrates the apostle Paul’s third missionary journey throughout Asia Minor, where, accompanied by other early evangelists, the apostle traveled to carry out the Great Commission to the gentiles in Roman Territory, while serving new believers and their communities.
[bctt tweet=”It is more blessed to give than to receive. @AJC #TuesdayMotivation #Tuesdaythoughts #service ” username=”PatHolbrook”]
I thought about those words when our choir director recognized my 20 years of service at our church’s choir this week. My husband and I joined our church in February 2000. That very week, I set foot in the choir room for the first time.
Serving in that choir has not always been convenient, especially since I live 28 miles from my church and therefore, must face the ever-growing Atlanta traffic one extra day every week. Between deadlines, coaching volleyball, and my children’s schedules, life can undoubtedly be hectic. There have also been times during the years when disappointments with people in the choir or physical hardships made me want to step down from serving. But every time I prayed about it, a firm conviction grabbed my heart. Not only does worshiping God in song bring me great joy, but I am also keenly aware that it is while serving others that I wholly fulfill my life’s purpose.
Through the years, I have met many people who were once highly involved serving in their places of worship or communities, but later stopped serving. Many of them stopped attending services altogether, often developing a certain cynicism concerning service and the church. The problem is that such distrust and misanthropy does not remain isolated. If not dealt with quickly and adequately, cynicism can easily spread to our relationship with God and steal our peace.
[bctt tweet=”If not dealt with quickly and adequately, cynicism can easily spread to our relationship with God and steal our peace. @AJC #TuesdayMotivation #Tuesdaythoughts #service” username=”PatHolbrook”]
I believe there is a reason why we read God’s warnings concerning serving others throughout Scriptures. The gifts and talents God gave us should never be confined to the walls of our homes. God gives us these gifts so we can bless others, and therefore, as Jesus said, we are only indeed “blessed” when we give them away.
Just as the bricks and mortar of the aqueduct of old crumbled down when it stopped serving its purpose, many of God’s people are drying up today. Whether due to disappointments, selfishness or busyness, their life is lacking joy and meaning simply because they stopped the living water from flowing through them to quench the thirst of those God called them to serve.
May the vision of that old aqueduct, standing against the test of time and elements, encourage us not to allow idleness to steal our God-given purpose, and remind us that it is indeed more blessed to give than to receive.
This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on February 29, 2020. You can find a link HERE.
Image by Dan Longlegs from Pixabay
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Yes, may we not allow ourselves to grow old and decrepit in our faith, but continue to look for ways to serve God and others.
And Patricia, thanks so much for your recommendation of the Jesus Bible in a previous post. My husband surprised me with it on my birthday, and I’m loving it!
Blessings!
Hi, Martha!
I am so glad you enjoyed the Jesus Bible. The commentaries are great, aren’t they?
So thankful for your faithful readership of my blog!
Blessings to you!
Patricia,
What a relevant example of how not being in service to God can dry us up spiritually. This is a good reminder that I need to keep going when I get to feeling weary from serving. When I give, God gives back to me immeasurably. Great post!
Blessings,
Bev xx
Hi, Bev!
Thank you so much!
I pray that God will keep us all healthy and committed to serving Him until He calls us home!
Blessings to you!!
What a powerful illustration. May we yield to God’s working through us into the lives of others.
Thank you, Barbara! I pray you have a long and fruitful life!
Thank you for your testimony of faithfulness. It takes so much grit to show up week after week for any volunteer commitment, and I have learned that stamina and resilience are so much more valuable than mere talent.
I agree, Michele! It only takes commitment to stay on task! Wishing you many blessings for a long and productive life!
Patricia, thank you for sharing the thought provoking story of the aqueduct. May we stay productive for all of our days for as long as we are yet drawing breath, there is something God has purposed for us to do. Blessings!
Amen, JoAnne! God’s purpose for our lives must be fulfilled to the end! Blessings for a long a productive life!
Patricia, what a wonderful aqueduct illustration . I loved this quote, “What ages of service could not destroy, idleness disintegrated.” You read of people dying shortly after retirement. May the Lord keep us faithful until our last breath.
Amen, Debbie! I pray you live a long and productive life!!!
We all have a purpose and we should be passionate about it because our purpose is supported by our gifts and talents that God has given us to glorify HIM!! Great article!
Chasity Dedman
Amen, friend! Wishing you many blessings for a long and fruitful life!
What a great story! This will stick with me. Thanks for sharing Patricia!
Thank you, dear friend! Blessings for a long and fruitful life!
Great encouragement to keep on keeping on.
Thank you Lauren! Blessings for a long and fruitful life!
Patricia, I loved this comment from your post: “The gifts and talents God gave us should never be confined to the walls of our homes. God gives us these gifts so we can bless others, and therefore, as Jesus said, we are only indeed “blessed” when we give them away.” Thank you for helping us remember this today!
Thank you for the encouragement, Leslie! So glad you’re part of our community!
What a great illustration!I’ve often said I can’t find in the bible anything about retirement. I think retiring from our jobs should open up new opportunities for service, not make us give up everything. And if we have poor health, being a prayer warrior would be a valuable calling we all can do. Like the aqueduct, we need to be a channel for God’s blessings to flow through.
Yes and amen, Jerralea! Our pastor Dr. Charles Stanley is 87 and going strong, leading an international ministry. Blessings to you for a healthy, long life!
Such a needed and powerful message, Patricia. I never want idleness or simply being too busy to become a reason I’m not serving others with my giftings from God. I want to be an active member of the Kingdom!
Amen, Sister!
May we never fall into the trap of using excuses not to serve our Lord! I want to be active until He calls me home!
Love to you,
What a great story and analogy! Serving can be challenging at times, especially as we get older, but I’ve seen how easy it can be to just sit and steep. It allows us to get self-focused and that’s never a good thing.
So true, Donna!
I see that with my mom’s generation…. when we stop being fruitful we become focused on the wrong things… the devil certainly uses idleness to keep us bound to depression and lack of purpose. May we be committed to being fruitful ’til the end!!
Blessings to you!