What does the Bible say about serving others? It says to start with the people right in front of you. “In humility value others above yourselves,” Paul wrote, “not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3–4). Notice what that doesn’t say. It doesn’t say fix everything. It says pay attention to the people you actually can reach.
Craig Campanella was walking around his Harlem neighborhood and saw a basketball court where the rims didn’t have nets.
He didn’t wait for someone else to fix it. He didn’t complain about it. When he found it wasn’t the local government’s responsibility, he just took care of it. “I said to myself, ‘I have a step ladder, and nets cost ten bucks, so I’m just gonna do it.’” That was in the 2010s.
When he moved to Queens, he took his personal service project with him. This year alone, he wants to replace at least fifty missing or damaged basketball nets at nearby parks. (He guesses at least two hundred need replacing.)
Even though he’s making national news, he’s keeping perspective. As he told CBS New York, “Look, there are more important problems in the world, but this is something that I can do.” I love this. It reminds me—in the middle of so many problems in the world today—to look for the missing nets in my life.
Fixing my “nets”: Where does serving others start?
I think we should take Craig Campanella’s example to heart, applying this to our lives by paying attention to the things and people in front of us that need attending.
The broken windows theory was published in 1982 by James Wilson and George Kelling. They believe that if a broken window is left broken, it can communicate that nobody cares. If nobody cares about little things, then bigger problems can follow.
Though the theory is about criminology, I like applying it to my daily life and what you and I can control. We can’t fix the whole neighborhood, but God prepared us to fix a broken window. We can’t change the world, but God prepared us to notice a missing net. We can’t solve everyone’s problems, but we can help heal one person’s broken heart.
Looking for my role: How do you know which needs are yours?
I need this reminder because lately I’ve had people suggest (sometimes directly, sometimes through social media posts) that if I don’t care about an issue they are passionate about—in exactly the same way they care about it—that I am not doing enough, that I am not compassionate enough, that I am failing.
I’ll be honest, guilt sets in a bit. Then I remind myself I am not qualified to be knowledgeable about every single issue. I am not gifted to handle every problem facing the world. I don’t have unlimited time, physical energy, emotional energy, or wisdom. (And neither do you.) That’s not an excuse. It’s an honest read on how God made you, and it’s a big part of what it means to be called by God.
In other words, I am not God. (And neither are you.)
God is God.
What does Ephesians 2:10 mean?
That helps us keep perspective on who we are and what we can accomplish. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Instead of trying to do it all, we remember that God simply invites us to follow him, love him, and love the people we meet. We use our gifts to be ambassadors for him in this world.
Other people may try, but they don’t get to convince you that you’re failing God because you aren’t focusing your attention on their calling. (Though you absolutely can pray for the concerns and issues on their hearts.)
What’s your net? How to start serving others this week
God calls us to stay connected to people and tells us to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3–4).
You are called to serve the people in front of you, the people God placed in your path. You have the ability to meet those needs because God prepared that good work ahead of time for you.
So instead of asking yourself what everyone else is doing or talking about or having opinions about, look for the missing net, the broken window, the issue that breaks your heart or needs your skills. God has prepared it in advance for you to offer encouragement, volunteer hours, kindness, financial support, and energy. That is what serving others looks like most of the time. Not a headline. A net.
The work you’re called to do might make national news, but it probably won’t. And like Craig Campanella said, there might be bigger problems in the world, but it’s something you can do.
Linda Buxa is a writer and public speaker who gets pretty vocal about helping people learn about natural ways to take care of their health. Most people can get on board with a sauna, but not so many love cold plunges.
