Why Serving Others Feels Hard
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And How to Push Past the Fear
“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)
Have you ever noticed how hard it can feel to serve others? Whether you’re coaching someone toward better health, writing a book meant to encourage weary hearts, or simply trying to love your neighbor, the fear creeps in.
What if they think I’m pushy?
What if they roll their eyes?
What if they think I’m a fraud?
It’s Not About You
Serving feels heavy because we are so focused on ourselves.
But here’s the truth: people are desperate for hope, for change, for freedom — and you might hold the very answer they’ve been praying for.
That’s why your message matters. That’s why your story matters.
Your calling isn’t about your comfort. It’s about their breakthrough.
Every day, people are secretly Googling at 2am, searching for relief from pain, confusion, and shame. They don’t know what to do. They don’t know who to trust. But you could be the one who stands in the gap.
Maybe you’re worried you’ll come across as pushy.
But what if you come across as prepared?
What if you come across as compassionate?
What if they see you as the answer to a prayer?
Don’t let your worry about being “pushy” rob someone else of their freedom.
In the world of coaching, ministry, and even sales, most flops come down to a single issue:
The problem wasn’t clear or painful enough.
People don’t want your solution until they trust that you see their problem.
They want to know,
Do you see me?
Do you understand what I’m going through?
How Jesus Models Serving Perfectly
Over and over, He named people’s pain before offering healing. To the blind man, He asked, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51). He could have assumed, but He didn’t. He let the man name the problem.
People need to name their pain. And they need you to see it through their eyes.
Why is that so hard?
- Experts think in solutions, not problems.
- We try to sell the root cause, but customers only feel the symptoms.
- We forget how it feels to hurt, because we’re already on the other side.
Friend, get the problem right.
If you miss the problem, you miss the chance to serve.
If you skip their pain, you skip their heart.
You can’t rescue someone from a pit you refuse to see.
Shift Your Focus to Serving Others
Here are three powerful questions to help you shift your focus and truly serve.
Coach Julie Chenell encourages us to ask these questions:
- What’s the thing your ideal client or reader would Google at 2am?
- What’s the sentence they would never say out loud, but would breathe easier if you spoke it first?
- What pain keeps repeating, making them whisper, “Something must be wrong with me”?
Romans 12:6 reminds us:
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”
Your gifts — your story, your health journey, your ministry, your book — are meant to meet a specific need. You don’t have to be everything for everyone. Just be faithful in the lane God has placed you.
Serving isn’t about you. It’s about them.
Not to push. Not to pressure. But to invite them to freedom.
If you ever doubt, remember this: Someone is praying for the answer you already hold.
Don’t keep someone else’s miracle locked inside your silence.
Be bold enough to speak up.
Be kind enough to meet them where they are.
Be faithful enough to show them the hope you’ve found.
That’s how we change lives. That’s how we walk worthy of the calling God placed on us.
“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
Keep going.
Keep serving.
Keep loving.
Their breakthrough is on the other side of your obedience.
Additional Resources
Praying Through the Bible in One Year
Have you ever wanted to read through the Bible but found yourself giving up? Or even worse, you read the chapters and at the end question how they apply to your life. Tricia Goyer understands. For years she felt frustrated that she couldn’t stick to her commitment to read God’s Word all the way through. Things changed when she found a doable plan and wrote out a daily prayer. Tricia’s heart changed. Her life did, too.
God can bring real transformation into your heart and life when you daily commit to reading your Bible and praying through God’s Word. Praying through the Bible in One Year offers a guided reading plan and a daily prayer starter to help you make God’s Word applicable to your life. Discover the inspiration for real-life transformation.
