Wednesday; July 21

I was at a conference a couple weeks ago when I learned a valuable lesson. I had painstakingly planned out the classes I thought would challenge me; but one of the most poignant lessons came from the swimming pool. I was discussing one of my volunteer outreaches when someone reminded me that volunteerism that doesn’t cost us anything usually doesn’t amount to much. In essence, we are apt to get the most out of something that costs us something. The price might be financial, emotional or time-related; but the more we are willing to invest, the more valuable it becomes to us.
As I pondered this revelation, it made the time and money investment I had spent in attending this conference much easier to accept. It helped me accept the challenges that I had experienced in my volunteerism and made me more convicted to doing what I felt called to do. Sure, it would be nice if someone would help me recoup my expenses or if they would make it easier to do what I was doing, but would that reduce the feeling of value I felt in “giving until it hurt”.
I am thankful that I went to the conference, but I may be even more thankful that I went for a swim. From now on I hope I will remember that the price I pay to volunteer is not a hardship, it really is a blessing.

Think About It!

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