The Volunteer Leech (circa 2002)

Consider the following quote: “The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry.” Now, what does a leech do? It latches on to someone and demands more and more blood, never giving anything in return. Sometimes we view service like this, that there are all sorts of organizations and people that demand our money, our abilities and our time. It seems they only want to use us to further their own goals, to suck us dry and not offer anything in return.

Yet sometimes we put up with this. We give of ourselves because we’re expected to, or it’s our duty, or it looks good on a college application. Maybe we feel guilty, or find these incessant demands so annoying that we give to get the leeches off our backs. In each of these situations, we serve because we feel that what we get out of it makes up for what we have to put in. With this attitude, both parties act only for their own benefit, and the leech is never satisfied. This is not a productive arrangement. This is not true service.

When we use our time, skills and money for others because we want to and not because we have to, that is genuine service. We see someone in need and we truly care about them, and then we act on that concern. This type of service does not leave us feeling hollow or used, but gives us a sense of fulfillment. Two people may do the same act, but it is the motive behind the action that separates emptiness from fulfillment, false service from true.

How do we generate that desire to help others? Well, that’s the trick now, isn’t it?