I channeled this story from my guide a few years back, when I was contemplating what it means to ‘be of service’.

There once was a holy man, a beloved pastor of sorts, who lived in a village a long, long time ago… He had a wife and many beautiful children. One day, in old age, the man went to his wife and unveiled a huge secret: he was a homosexual and he was in love.

The wife was taken aback, but something deep within her felt okay by it. She loved him, but their marriage had become one of good friends. They had beautiful children and grandchildren whom she loved caring for, and had recently taken on hobbies that she was passionately drawn into. Seeing the passion he had for this person gave her a sense of relief and in many ways, renewed her love for him, to see him so alive. She was okay with the idea of letting him go, to be with his new love. 

With her blessing, he moved into a cottage with his new partner. Rumblings within the village began to occur. Being a beloved pastor, some in the village knew his kind heart and was accepting of his new life immediately. Others, not so much. He was ridiculed, tormented by the disapproving villagers, but he kept living his life. Being a man of god, he continued to be a man of love and compassion, despite how they treated him.

Slowly, some villagers began to accept them. They could see in his everyday actions, that he was still the same beloved pastor. A loving person who was a joy to be around. They could see that this relationship was not a threat, quite the contrary. He seemed even more loving, happier, carefree, and settled. They began to change their views.

For those that did, they chose love. They chose to open their hearts in a way that was previously closed off with judgements, moral programmings of right and wrong, and in turn, they became more loving of themselves. These souls were forever changed. Yes, he was a spiritual teacher, but it wasn’t his teachings that changed them in this deep way. It was by being his true self. To live in his authenticity and be the expression of his truth. 

By doing so, he gifted the villagers a choice: will you choose love, or will you choose hate? 

It is this opportunity for choice that is the service work. 

Because, not all of the villagers accepted them, of course. But that’s not what the service work is about. It’s not about controlling them to change or to see the Light. And it’s not about perfectionism — getting everyone to change. Rather, it is living authentically and simply being himself and allowing others the opportunity to choose lovingness. If he did not come out, if he hid himself to not rock the boat, we’re not giving others the opportunity to open their minds and hearts. When we stay in the status quo, the opportunity doesn’t exist.

By being his true, authentic self, this man held space for healing, allowed for changed perspectives, and in the end — put more love into the world, and therefore increased the vibration of the world. 

This is how authenticity is service work.

When I channeled this story, tears came to my eyes. Although my authenticity journey is not about my sexual orientation, I resonated with the story in terms of ‘coming out.’ I knew I needed to be honest with friends and family about my spirituality, in all my woo-woo weirdness. It touched me deeply the notion that service work isn’t about doing necessarily. It can be about the things we do, but it can also simply be, being yourself.

That can mean being a person that is loving, but totally weird to others. All of the Tarot, the energy work, past life work, and not to mention the channeling of this story, is — to some — totally weird. But at the same time, it is my authenticity and truth. And as a Libra Sun, and a 9 on the Enneagram, being someone others think is ‘weird’ is completely frightening.

The thing is, this type of service work is simple, but not easy. When we’re called towards authenticity as our service work, we open ourselves to vulnerability. We allow others to see parts of us that may be rejected. It takes a lot of courage. And it’s quite the long game. It’s about grounding into who we are and giving others the opportunity to adjust themselves, by choosing love in acceptance, as they come to realizations in their own time. Not to mention that there are no guarantees that they will change, or that you will hear about their change on this Earthly plane.

It takes patience, dedication and faith. The good news is that it feels really freeing to be your authentic self. I often think back to the person I was who was constantly adjusting myself to be someone acceptable to others, and it was exhausting. I was constantly suppressing myself. Now, I’m just me — nothing to hide.

When I ‘came out’ to friends and family, our relationship was awkward at first. Some said they support me, but being empathic, I could feel they didn’t, exactly. I didn’t hold it against them. I was being a completely new person than what they expected from me — expectations that I had created. I was the one hiding myself from them, so allowing others to take time in adjusting to this me, is the least I could do.

Now, I can assuredly say that most of my relationships have come to a place of acceptance. In fact, our connection feels deeper and more intimate. In some cases, it allowed them to reveal things about themselves, opening the relationship to further common interests and bonding.

Some friendships couldn’t withstand the change, but I feel okay about releasing them and allowing them to be souls who traveled with me for a time, and now no longer. We all have people who come in for a time, and leave. And perhaps one day, they will re-enter, or perhaps they will have changed their minds about my weirdness without letting me know.

I wanted to put this perspective out there as it was very helpful to me. For those who feel like they’re called to ‘be of service’ – this terminology can be very confusing. “Service” implies we are doing something for others. But “be” is also simply that — to be. 

If you ever feel unsure of your purpose or your path, then take this message as one to take the pressure off yourself. I truly believe that it is part of every person in this world’s path to be authentically them. All you gotta do is be yourself, choose love — and that’s all. The World needs you to be who you are, and that’s it — you’re being of service! Simply be you.

In gratitude, Bonnie
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