
Availability
Key Verse
The operational definition of availability is “making my own schedule and priorities secondary to the wishes of those I am serving.” To be available means that, when God leads, you are willing to set aside at a moment’s notice whatever you are doing or planning so that you can help someone. Those you serve include your own family as well as anyone around you who needs assistance. By making yourself available to the people God has placed in your life, you are serving Him. (See Matthew 25:40.) Faithfully following a schedule, setting priorities, and making plans are wise habits, but you should be ready to put your activities aside temporarily when the Lord leads you to help someone else. However, before making a regular commitment to help outside your home, check with your parents. They can help you discern if this is the right opportunity and time for you in light of other factors or family activities.
The opposite of availability is self-centeredness. A self-centered person considers his own interests first and is hardly mindful of the needs of others. The Apostle Paul observed: “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s” (Philippians 2:21). If one is focused on himself, he may expect others to always accommodate him. When he actually does help someone, he probably will expect that person to repay him for his good deed. A self-centered child may respond, “I’m busy!” when asked to help, even if he is not really busy but only playing. Other times he may hide in his room to avoid being asked to do something or wait for others to volunteer first. Until he turns his focus from himself to Christ and His example, he will not experience the joy of serving others.
Evaluation Questions
- Do I respond to others in a way that communicates that I am present and attentive?
- Am I willing to rearrange my schedule when God directs me to meet a need?
- Do others sense a loving presence and humility to serve when I enter a room?
- Instead of focusing on myself, do I gladly welcome opportunities to serve others?
- Before offering to assist someone else, do I first make sure that my family’s needs are met?
- When I see an opportunity to help someone, am I willing to stop playing so I can help?
- Am I allowing distracting pleasures or personal ambitions to limit my availability to God and others?
- Are my resources fully available to God, or do I keep them for my own purposes?
- In what ways can I simplify my life so that I will be more available to others?
More About Availability


God enables me to:
Identify whom I serve.
Be ready to serve.
Serve family before others.
Be a giver.
Consider the needs of others.
Stop focusing on myself.
Rearrange my schedule when necessary.
Respond promptly when I am called.
Serve cheerfully.
Confirm before I commit.
Availability in Scripture
Isaiah Responds to God’s Call

Revealed in Nature
Giraffe

For Kids
Biblical Character Illustrated Curriculum
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Free Resources for Availability
Enjoy these selections from the Biblical Character Illustrated Curriculum that are fun and memorable!