Humble Yourself and Volunteer

Taryn Knight

Humble
Yourself and Volunteer

Volunteering
is a very important thing. Giving back to the community is a way to
show your gratitude and to show that you have a good heart and care
about others. It humbles you and gives you a mindset of selflessness.
I
help out in my church’s children’s ministry in the preschool
classroom every second and fourth Sunday of the month. So far, I’ve
worked twenty-four hours per year, four per month, and two per week.
I chose this because I love children and have always wanted to work
with them. I’m going to get a master’s in Developmental
Psychology and this was a great opportunity to get a sense of what
working with children would be like.
In
the classroom, I help out with the with the kids in any way I can;
games, memory verse, snack, etc. My biggest challenge has been
keeping a smile on my face and positive attitude even when I’m not
in the best of moods. My mother, the leader of the class, has told me
once or twice to “look awake” and “interact with the children”
and I’ve had to suck whatever I was feeling up at that moment up
and do as I was told.
Being
able to volunteer has given me a sense of contentment. Helping out
with others instead of sitting in my room all day and watching
Netflix has really humbled me and has taught me that there are
people, and animals, that are in need of our help; even if it is just
people needing someone to watch their kids so that they’re not
interrupted in church. It’s allowed me to keep a level head and to
not become so absorbed in myself that I don’t take time out to
consider others’ feelings. Growing up in a loving Christian
household has definitely helped, but volunteering was just the icing
on the cake.

As a volunteer, I definitely
see my activities as “forward looking.” This to me means that
I’ve made a positive difference in people’s lives. I seek for my
volunteering to shape young children, and even teenagers and adults,
into respectful, caring people who can then make a positive
difference in the lives of people in their lives. If I were to come
back in some years I think that I would have made a difference. I’ve
encouraged the children to share, be kind to one another, and to talk
through their problems instead of just crying, screaming, or even
negatively retaliating. These may be small things, but they can
really make a huge difference in the long run.