Serve, Not Solve

By Josh Wood, Executive Director, Them Before Us

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Jesus healed the sick, fed the hungry, and even raised the dead. He did so knowing that every blind person, every lame man, may again fall prey to these ailments again in old age.

Every stomach He filled would grow hungry the next day. Even Lazarus, raised from the grave, would one day die again.

At first glance, this seems incomplete. Why would Jesus, the Son of God, spend His time performing miracles that didn’t permanently solve the problem?

The answer is found in a word often overlooked in Scripture: signs.

Jesus wasn’t simply fixing broken bodies or filling empty stomachs. He was being obedient in his calling to reveal something greater—the coming of a Kingdom where there would be no more blindness, no more hunger, no more death.

Every sign, wonder, and miracle acted as a trail marker pointing the way forward, glimpsing a world to come. He wasn’t here to fix everything in the moment; He was here to show us what is to come and to call us to follow him in bringing it to earth.

Yet, in leadership—especially at the highest levels—we often resist this approach. We default to a results-driven mindset, evaluating every action by its efficiency, impact, immediate return on investment, and, ultimately, asking, “Does this solve it?”

Unfortunately, that kind of thinking can become a trap when it comes to people, relationships, and calling. It tempts us to disengage when we can’t see how our effort will “fix” the problem.

This can lead us not to invest because the impact seems too small to be worth it. Jesus never let that calculation stop Him from acting. He was faithful to his calling to serve, even when the outcome was temporary or too small to measure.

And He calls us to the same.

The Asheville Hurricane & the Power of Small Faithfulness

After a recent hurricane hit North Carolina, I found myself overwhelmed by the devastation. People had lost homes, lives had been uprooted, entire communities were in need.

What could I possibly do that would make a difference? Like many of my neighbors, I asked a simple question: What do I have to give?

I ran through my options: I could donate my chainsaw, we could gather some blankets, I know some people with gas cans for generators, and we could buy pizzas and take them to first responders.

Now, none of these actions would “solve” the crisis, but they felt like faithful actions, so we did.

And as we did, something unexpected happened. Unlike coastal disaster zones, where large aid operations can be set up easily, Asheville was surrounded by mountains and difficult roads. 18-wheelers and massive government convoys couldn’t get through—but small trucks, ATVs, and small helicopters manned by private citizens could.

What happened?

The very thing that seemed ineffective—hundreds of small acts of faithfulness—ended up being the most effective solution. But here’s the key: That cannot be your litmus test. You cannot base your decision to serve on whether or not it will “work.”

In this case, it happened to work.

But in most cases, the true impact is something we’ll never see.

If everyone had stopped to measure their individual impact before engaging, nothing would have happened; the problem would have remained.

Added together, the individual obedience amounted to a miracle. Not one that solved the whole problem but certainly a sign of the Kingdom on earth.

Each time we serve without expecting a return, each time we act in faith instead of calculating impact, we become a sign—a living, breathing symbol of a Kingdom that is coming.

A Kingdom where service is never wasted, where small acts matter, and where love is never measured in efficiency.

The world is obsessed with solving. Jesus calls us to serve.

Application Questions for Leaders

●????? Where have you hesitated to act because the impact seemed too small?

○????? Think about relationships, workplace culture, or personal generosity.

●????? Are you measuring your interactions with people based on efficiency or faithfulness?

○????? What would change if you focused more on serving the person instead of solving the problem?

●????? What is one small act of service you can commit to this week—without worrying about its long-term effectiveness?

○????? Identify something practical and commit to doing it.

You can reach Josh at [email protected].

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