Key 12 - Secret Service

• It makes serving even more potent because it is serving in secret.

• More than anything, a parent desires their children to recognize a problem at home and handle it themselves.  What does that do?  Shows maturity and responsibility to the parent.  By not seeking praise or reward as well, which is basically practicing Silence as well, it shows a whole other level of maturity.  The child is owning the issue and dealing with it themselves, no longer needing their parents to give them anything in return.  They are taking a load off the parents simply because they want to please their parents.

• But here’s the problem.  You can’t secretly serve if you never get around other people and learn about what their needs are.  It’s impossible to secretly serve if you don’t get to know others and share their burdens.

• One word of warning about Secret Service before we close.  It CAN backfire and requires wisdom.  You need to learn what the person is comfortable with in regards to you serving them.  You don’t want to invade their privacy or ruin plans they might already have for that issue.  In other words, your heart can be in the right place, but you might do more harm than good.

• A good example of Secret Service: You have the day off.  Your spouse normally does the laundry.  YOU do the laundry, fold it and put it away before your spouse even gets home and notices.  Then, say nothing about it.  IF your spouse notices and thanks you and really appreciates you for it, respond with a “It was no problem” or “It was my pleasure” - something short and simple - and let it go.  Don’t go on and on about it because you’re trying to receive more praise from them.  Secret Service, like Silence, is NOT seeking praise for your good works.  It is doing something and actually kinda hoping the good deed isn’t discovered so God will reward you even more for it.  That is the whole point of it.  You WANT it to go unnoticed because you know that if it goes unnoticed, God noticed, and He will reward you all the more for it going unnoticed.