Service Isn’t Always Fun
I used to have two pear trees in our yard, the hard kind of pears meant more for cooking and canning than for eating fresh. They were faithful trees. Every season they produced, and they produced a lot. The problem was, we never really used those pears ourselves. We gave most of them away. And if I am being honest, pear season often put me in a bad mood.
It was not because the trees were doing anything wrong. It was because the pears stayed on the branches until they dropped into the grass, and once they hit the ground, it did not take long for them to rot. If I did not keep up with it, the yard would turn into a mushy mess. I would walk outside and see the fruit scattered everywhere, and instead of feeling grateful, I felt burdened. I felt irritated. I felt like I had been handed a job I did not ask for, even though it was happening right there in my own yard. The only way to keep it from becoming a mess was to pick the pears and give them away before they spoiled.
And somewhere along the way, the Lord used those pears to talk to me about service.
Some of our gifts are like those pear trees. God put them in us. He wired us that way. We produce. We notice needs. We organize. We help. We carry. We show up. We can feed people, encourage people, pray with people, teach, lead, clean up, build up, and do the work that keeps everything running. But not every kind of service feels delightful. Sometimes it feels inconvenient. Sometimes it feels repetitive. Sometimes it comes with a mushy mess element, meaning if we do not stay attentive, it turns into frustration, resentment, or burnout.
What I learned from those trees is this. Just because something is a gift does not mean it will always feel like a treat. Sometimes a gift is simply a responsibility that God trusts you with, and it becomes a blessing when it is offered, not when it is stored up and ignored.
Scripture says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10, NIV). That word “stewards” gets me. A steward does not own the gift. A steward manages what belongs to someone else. Those pears did not exist for my mood. They existed to be used. And the gifts God places in us are the same. They are grace from Him, meant to be handled well and shared.
The truth is, when I didn’t use my fruit and simply let those pears drop and rot, I still had to deal with them, only now they were heavier, messier, and far less useful. That is what happens when I ignore a calling because I do not enjoy it, or when I resent a responsibility because it does not fit the picture I had in my mind. The need does not vanish. The opportunity does not disappear. It just changes form. And often it becomes harder on my heart.
This is not a message about forcing yourself to do everything for everyone. It is about recognizing that service is not always about enjoyment. Service is about love. Love is not always a mood. Love is a decision, anchored in Christ, offered with humility, and strengthened by obedience.
That is why the Bible also says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9, NIV). There are seasons where doing good feels like a harvest, and there are seasons where it feels like bending down again and again to pick up pears before they spoil. The harvest still comes, but the work can be tiring.
I think God cares less about whether I enjoy every task and more about whether I keep my heart soft while I do it. It is possible to do good work with a sour spirit. I know that because I have done it. I can be handing someone a gift while inwardly grumbling. That is not the kind of fruit I want to offer. So the prayer is not, “Lord, make all service enjoyable.” The prayer is, “Lord, purify my motives. Keep me from resentment. Help me serve with love, even when it feels like work.”
If God has given you a pear tree kind of gift, something that produces and produces and produces, then do not despise it because it comes with effort. Do not let it rot on the ground in your spirit. Use it. Offer it. Give it away. And when the season feels messy, ask God to tend your heart while you tend the work. Because when gifts are used in love, even the hard ones become nourishment for someone else, and they become worship to the One who gave them.
Lord, help me be a faithful steward. Help me use what You have placed in my hands. When service feels inconvenient, keep my heart clean. When I feel weary, give me strength. And when I am tempted to resent what You have entrusted to me, remind me that love is still love, even when it costs something. Amen.
