When are you the happiest?

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The first High Tech Ministries’ board meeting with Jason Smith as president and me as chairman was wrapping up.

We concluded our business, and I said, “We need to end this meeting as we started it. We need to pray.”

As I started to pray, Jason Smith said, “I’ll close us in prayer.”

While Jason was praying, I was thinking about how thankful I was that he is our president. I'd worked with him for the last three months and was very impressed.

As Jason said, “Amen” and we were getting ready to leave, something hit me.

I said, “I want to take this opportunity to thank God and to thank Jason for being our president.

“I met Jason over 15 years ago. Since that time, I've watched him use his business and the High Tech Prayer Breakfast as his tools for building the kingdom of God. This is his focus, and now he is our president. He is leading all of us and showing all of us the heart of a businessman who loves Jesus and loves all those God puts in his life.

“His enthusiasm for the ministry combined with his focus on building life-changing relationships and his generosity is contagious. Working with Jason is like breathing fresh air for the first time. He is a great leader for Christ and is doing a great job.”

Every board member spoke in agreement.

Jason’s leadership had touched each of us personally. It was clear to me that I was not alone. Each one thanked him and thanked God for Jason as our new president.

Then Jason said, “I hear you and appreciate it. But I find in my life, I am happiest when I’m serving.”

He continued, “We’ve built a great business. I made money. I bought all the things that I wanted. And I discovered none of it was fulfilling. The only thing that makes me happy, the only thing that fills me up, the only thing that keeps me going is serving others. When I’m serving others, that’s when I am really happy and fulfilled.”

I couldn’t stop thinking about what Jason had said.

Walking out of the office building that night, I kept thinking, “I am happiest when I am serving others.”

I kept thinking about this for the rest of the week and into the weekend. I found myself telling other people what Jason had said at the end of the meeting.

I’m in a transition time in my life. This stage is different from the previous stage. The previous stage was all about using my experience and credibility to start and build businesses and community organizations. But this stage is different. It appears to be about helping others do what I used to do. It is about them starting something new.

Sometimes it feels like I’m lost.

But when Jason said, “I am happiest when I am serving,” I realized I am, too.

So now, I look at everything I am being asked to do as an opportunity to serve.

• When a friend invites me to lunch to talk about his next step in his career, I’m serving.

• When an entrepreneur asks me to review his business strategy, I’m serving.

• When a friend wants to discuss his marriage or his kids, I’m serving.

• When I attend a Grace@Work group and invite others to attend, I’m serving.

• When I have a catch-up over coffee or visit a friend in the hospital, I’m serving.

And when I am serving, I am, like Jason, happiest and most fulfilled. There is nothing better. There is no higher purpose than serving our fellow man.

So thanks, Jason, for sharing this great insight. It is the truth. It is our purpose. It is baked into us from our Creator. It is from God, and that is why we are happiest when we serve.