The Sweet Spot

Desire to Give Back & Pay it Forward

By: Meiling Kim (Assistant to the Executive Director)

Photo by Rafael Gonzales

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

- Paul, Philippians 2:5-11

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

- Jesus, Matthew 20:25-28

When you draw the symbol for eternity, where is your starting point? (Go ahead. Draw it out right now if you want.)

∞

I draw the eternity symbol starting from the middle point. Then I continue the stroke back to create the left loop, and then I go through the middle point to create the forward (right) loop, then back to the middle point and then forward, and it goes on and on.

When I consider joyful service as giving back and paying it forward, I think of a continuous movement with no ending. It’s a momentum that keeps on going and growing like an eternity symbol. I see no end to it which is certain. But where is the beginning of this perpetuity?

The way I draw eternity, I end up going through the starting point where I find Jesus who started it all. It’s the spot where I’m reminded of how he humbly served, and initiated grace and generosity, and how these were shown through others. It’s also the space where I undeservingly receive. The starting point is also the place where both giving back and paying it forward intersect. Here is where I listen, wrestle, make a decision, and then wrestle again in changing direction. Here is where transformation begins it’s colourful strokes, and is the sweet spot of putting others first.

When I begin to draw the symbol for eternity, I start at the sweet spot where I find Jesus’ gentle but powerful and endless transformative strokes that move in me and beyond me. Where

is the spot from which you pick up momentum to continually give back and pay it forward even to those who seem undeserving, and find joy in it? Could your sweet spot of putting others first be with the One who first demonstrated this to us?

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