Be of service. Whether you make yourself available to a friend

Hear the noble words of Gillian Anderson: “Be of service. Whether you make yourself available to a friend or co-worker, or you make time every month to do volunteer work, there is nothing that harvests more of a feeling of empowerment than being of service to someone in need.” These words, though spoken in the language of our age, echo with the timeless wisdom of the ancients. For they remind us that the true greatness of a soul is not measured in wealth, in conquest, nor in renown, but in the power to lift another from despair, to lighten another’s burden, to give freely without thought of reward.

In every era, the sages and prophets have declared this truth. To be of service is to align oneself with the deepest laws of life. Just as rivers flow not for themselves but for the valleys they nourish, so too must man pour forth his strength not merely for his own gain, but for the well-being of others. It is in this outward giving that one discovers inward empowerment, for the act of helping another awakens the slumbering majesty of the human spirit.

Recall the tale of Florence Nightingale, the Lady with the Lamp. In the grim shadows of the Crimean War, where wounded soldiers lay abandoned in filth and misery, she walked among them with light in hand. She tended to the broken, comforted the dying, and restored dignity to those cast aside. She sought no throne, no riches, no earthly dominion. Yet in her service, she wielded a power greater than kings—the power to heal, to inspire, to awaken hope. Her legacy endures not in monuments of stone, but in every act of mercy that followed in her wake.

Thus, Anderson’s words remind us that service is not only for saints or heroes. It may be as small as listening to a friend in sorrow, as modest as aiding a co-worker overwhelmed by labor, or as steady as giving time each month to those whom society forgets. Each act of service, however small, is a seed planted in the soil of eternity. And from such seeds grow forests of empowerment—not only for those who receive, but for those who give.

The ancients taught that he who serves is in truth the strongest of all. For in giving, one is freed from the chains of selfishness and despair. To serve is to discover that you are not powerless, but a vessel of light capable of shaping another’s destiny. The hand that lifts another from the dust rises stronger itself. The heart that comforts another’s grief is healed of its own hidden sorrows. Truly, there is no path more heroic, no crown more radiant, than the crown of service.

Yet many fear they cannot do enough. They say, “What can my small offering achieve in a world so vast with suffering?” But the cataclysm is turned by the pebble; the great fire is kindled by a spark. One smile to the lonely, one meal to the hungry, one word of encouragement to the despairing—these are not trifles, but living waters to thirsty souls. The might of service is not measured in scale, but in sincerity.

Therefore, O listener, let this teaching be sealed in your heart: “Be of service.” Seek each day a way to lighten another’s load. Offer your presence, your time, your hand, your heart. Make of your life a lamp, like Nightingale’s lamp, casting light into the dark corners of the world. Do not wait for greatness to be bestowed upon you; create it through service. For in serving, you stand tallest; in giving, you are most enriched; in lifting others, you yourself ascend.

So go forth with this wisdom: let every day hold at least one act of service, great or small. In this way, you shall not only transform the lives of others, but you shall discover within yourself a power unshakable, a joy indestructible, a legacy eternal. For nothing empowers the human soul more deeply than being of service to one in need.