We All Have Our Place to Serve

 Hello Friends!

How is your week going? Things are supposed to warm up, here in Texas, and I am so ready! I'm just tired of being cold, you know?

Over the weekend, David and I had lunch with a friend and it brought to mind some things that I feel very strongly about and thought I'd share here, just in case anyone else has ever felt the same.

It's about church.

This particular friend was sharing his frustration over being repeatedly asked to serve in some capacity at church. He recently came back to church and honestly, only recently came back to faith, after many years of not being in church. I'm not saying he wasn't close to God, because I don't know that. But he only recently made church a regular part of his life. 

Fast forward a few months and he was expressing his frustration over being made to feel that he needed to be serving somewhere in the church...right now. 

This friend has a ministry that I won't name here, because I don't want to reveal his identity, but I assure you, he is putting good into the world every week. 

I was saddened as he explained his frustration over being hounded weekly by church staff. I've been there, so I instantly understood what he was feeling.

When I was smack in the middle of mothering and homeschooling two small boys, I felt the same way. Especially as a mom at home, people tend to think you have ample time to add all the outside activities, such as teaching, serving, attending all the church services, etc. And the truth is, there are days when you're doing good to keep your own humans alive, much less prepare a Sunday School lesson or serve on a committee.

At the time, I had a viable blog with a big following and I wrote daily devotional type posts. I also wrote and taught a women's Bible study once a week. But my main ministry was right there, in my home, as I taught and trained my little boys to love the Lord. I was pouring my heart and soul into my home and family and that left little time for other things.

I would watch other women drop their kids off in the church nursery every chance they got. Their kids were being drug here and there, any time the doors were open and they chose the church over their kids, every time. They wouldn't dare think of not serving, yet they would bring their kids to church, rain or shine, sick or tired. It didn't matter. They were going to serve at the church. 

I chose differently and sometimes, I'll just be honest...I was treated like a sluggard; like I didn't want to serve the Lord, just because I wasn't doing it out front, in the building, on a weekly basis. 

I eventually developed a thick skin (homeschooling will do that to you) and got comfortable with the fact that my home was my ministry and I was serving the Lord by serving my family and even serving friends and loved ones who were in need.

You see, it took me years to realize that ministry takes place outside the walls of the church. In fact, if your only service is inside the church walls and only in church appointed tasks, then you might be missing the bigger picture. 

What we do to minister and testify to the world, is what Jesus was all about. Going along the way and meeting people where they are, sharing the good news and demonstrating faith. Loving people at your job, meeting their physical and spiritual needs and spreading the Gospel through your daily actions. That's ministry!

There is so much on this topic that I could elaborate on, but that would be too long of a post. But I will just say that what I saw in our friend - the frustration and even questioning his own worth - is what will make someone leave the church faster than a sermon on tithing. 

You know, I've heard pastors shame those who are more like Martha in the Bible - the one who wanted to serve Jesus, fix his food, make sure he had everything he needed. She was the busy bee of the story and she always got the bad rap. But Mary was praised, for "choosing the better thing," which was sitting at the feet of Jesus and just being still.

Isn't it funny that the modern day church wants us to be so busy, yet condemns Martha for that very thing?

The bottom line is that Christians are to be about ministry - wherever they go.  Some work at church, some work in the entertainment industry, some in industrial jobs, some are at home with babies and kids. What matters is that you love Jesus and that he shines through you, wherever you are. We are all called to different walks and tasks and to make someone feel like their area of ministry isn't legitimate or enough, is not right. 

You know why Jesus tells us about the thief on the cross? I believe it's to absolutely demonstrate that there is nothing required but belief and faith in who Jesus is, and what he did for us.  That man didn't serve on a committee, he didn't attend church, he didn't speak in tongues or heal anyone. He simply looked at Jesus, as he was hanging beside him, and spoke his faith out loud and Jesus told him there would be a place for him in paradise. Period. The end.

I write all of this, not to condemn anyone, but simply to remind us...the church...that we all have our place. Some serve inside the church and some serve outside. But we are all valuable and we all have a ministry. It just might not look like the other guy's and that's ok. We need to be ok with that too.

Until Next Time...

Blessings!