Should We Be Required To Serve?
By Scott Stansbury | scott@alaskabyteministry.org | 907-231-7373
When our youth graduate from high school, should they be required to serve?
I don’t mean just military service—though I have the deepest respect for those who serve in uniform. I’m talking about something broader. Something foundational. I’m talking about serving our fellow man. Whether it’s working with charities, caring for the elderly, feeding the hungry, or comforting the broken—should we expect every young person to commit at least two years of their lives in direct service to others?
The Bible doesn’t just suggest service. It commands it.
Jesus said in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” If Christ Himself—the Savior of the world—did not place Himself above others, how much more should we, His followers, humble ourselves to serve?
I believe in this calling not just because it’s scriptural, but because I’ve lived it.
For 25 years, I served my community in Volunteer Fire and EMS departments. I’ve crawled into burning buildings, pulled people from wrecks, and held hands during last breaths. I didn’t do it for praise or thrills. I did it because God put a deep love in my heart for people. People I didn’t know. People who could never repay me. People in desperate need.
One night during a house fire, the roof collapsed on me. Trapped, with less than two minutes of air remaining in my tank, I was rescued just in time. That experience could have ended my life—but instead, it renewed my purpose. I wasn’t just fighting fire. I was fighting for life.
One of the most humbling moments in my service came a year after my first CPR save. A man walked into the firehouse with his wife and two children. The kids ran to me, hugging me through tears. Their father—whom I helped revive—looked me in the eyes and said, “Because of you, these two children still have a father.” We wept together in that fire station, overwhelmed by grace. But I knew it wasn’t really me who saved him. It was God, and I was simply His willing vessel.
Galatians 5:13 reminds us: “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”
There’s power in that kind of love—humble, sacrificial, compassionate service. I’ve seen it change lives. Including my own.
So why should we require young people to serve?
Because service teaches what the world often does not: humility, empathy, perseverance, respect. When you carry groceries for a struggling senior, when you comfort someone grieving, when you clean up after a disaster—it reorients your heart. You stop seeing people by their labels—homeless, rich, broken, difficult—and you start seeing them as children of God.
Philippians 2:3-4 tells us, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Imagine a world where young people—before pursuing careers, wealth, or fame—first spent two years in the trenches of real human need. How different would our culture be if the next generation learned to love through service?
I’m not talking about forced labor or empty gestures. I’m talking about meaningful opportunities to grow character and deepen compassion. Service that honors the image of God in every person.
I didn’t serve for accolades. I wasn’t thinking of “paying it forward.” I was doing what God calls us all to do: Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39). Now, years later and living with disabilities of my own, I often find myself needing help in simple ways. And let me tell you—asking for help is its own act of humility. But I have received it. And through that, I’ve experienced the same love and compassion I once offered others.
1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
This is why I ask the question: Should we be required to serve?
And I say yes. Not because society demands it, but because the world needs it. Our youth need it. And God commands it.
So ask yourself today:
“Who around me needs help?”
“How can I serve?”
Because one day, you too may find yourself in need. And when love shows up through another person’s hands, you’ll know just how powerful service truly is.
The experience is priceless.
And all glory belongs to God.
Please leave comments as to what you liked or didn’t, agree or disagreed with about this post or how it applies to you. What other subjects would you would like to see covered?
—Who is Scott Stansbury?
Before becoming a full-time photographer and videographer, Scott worked as a consultant in Process Safety Management across industries such as oil, gas, chemical, nuclear, military, and NASA. His life changed after surviving a horrific accident that left him clinging to life and undergoing many surgeries. During one operation, he had a powerful afterlife experience that reshaped his entire journey. Though now disabled, Scott doesn’t see it that way. He says, “Naa. I’m just different—with parking privileges, that’s all.”
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📧 scott@alaskabyteministry.org
📞 907-231-7373