The nursery worker.  The song leader.  The custodian.  The Bible class teacher.  The woman who makes the communion bread.  The man who fixes the widow's car.  The missionary.  The missionary supporter.  The prayer warrior.

What do they have in common?  They're servants.  They serve the body.  In very tangible and recognized ways, these people are servants to the body of Christ.  They're all well loved, needed, and appreciated.  There are more of course.  From curriculum writers to pulpit committees, from AWANA directors to a deacon, the church is full of servants, and well it should be.

Some areas of service aren't generally recognized.  In one congregation that we attended, a woman served me in ways she never knew.  Riddled with pain and several debilitating diseases, she came, week after week, and was just THERE.  It was service to the body.  When I'm unwell, I don't want to go anywhere no matter how badly I want to BE there.  Then I remember Dena and I realize that it's not about me.  Can I go?  Will I be able to sit there?  Will I infect others?  Will I need to be taken home?  Of course with those things in the negative, I shouldn't go.  But staying home and being miserable or sitting there and being miserable is just geography.

Another woman served me at another congregation.  Diana was an example to me and I don't know if she'll ever truly realize her service to the church even though I did try to tell her a time or two.  She loved her sons.  She had such an amazing closeness to her sons.  It sooooo impressed me.  I wanted that.  I emulated anything I saw in her that I could because I saw the root of it.  She served me.  She taught me to "... love their children" by example.

There is an area in the church that I think we've gotten lazy with our service.  Women have busy lives.   We live in an instant society with expectations of instant results.  We've forgotten that service can require inconvenience.  In this one area, we really need to reconsider serving our bothers in Christ.

That last sentence probably gave away what I mean.  Modesty.  I hear it all the time. 

"It is almost impossible to find clothes that are in style and still modest"  Difficult, but not impossible.  In almost any store in the country you can find SOMETHING. 

"I shouldn't have to work so hard at just shopping for clothes."  Well whether or not you should have to isn't the issue.  The issue is that the difficulty of the task doesn't negate the need for the task. If you had to find a blanket for your brother in Christ or he'd die, woudl you  not search until you found him one no matter how long it took?

The statements and answers are numerous. Do we die to self and serve the body of Christ or do we demonstrate a lack of love because loving them in this way is too inconvenient?  It isn't impossible.  It may be difficult but it isn't imposible.

"... she is like merchant ships.  She brings her food from afar."

We can and we should serve our brothers and sisters in Christ this way. 

Please note:  I am not defining what is or isn't modest here.  I'm not saying that one particular type of clothing is immodest or not.   I would hope that it would be obvious that clothing that looks painted on, shows cleavage, most of the thigh and/or part of the rear is generally inappropriate for a Christian to wear.  Some consider slacks and jeans still showing the rear and/or thigh, others don't.  I'm not going to play the game.  What one of my daughters can wear with absolute decency, another of my girls cannot.