February. Michigan. Snow. Sub-zero windchills. "I hate this state. I hate the snow. I hate my commute." said my husband after a particularly bad drive home. Me, in my eternal optimist guise, remarked, "You're being quite the pessimist." "If you can't be pessimistic in Michigan in February, when can you be?" He got me on that one. I could have shared that I'd been fighting a funk of my own for several days.
And it had been one of those days. You know, the ones where it feels like everyone needs a little piece of you? I'm finding the problem is I like the idea of being a mentor, helping those that are a little newer in their faith-walk move forward and grow. I like the idea of coming alongside those I minister with and listening and encouraging them. I like the idea of it. The problem is sometimes I just don't like the work of it. And it does involve work.
It can be hard to set aside what you're focused on and really listen to someone who is lonely. It takes patience to offer counsel to someone who is struggling with the same issue today as yesterday, and often the day before. It can be soul-wearying to encourage a co-worker when the same critics are continuing to drain the life and joy out of their ministry week after week. Doing these things is more than work. It's sacrifice. It's laying aside your own agenda, your own to-do list, your own life. It's choosing to lay your time on the altar as a sacrifice. Choosing to lay your stuff on the altar as a sacrifice. Choosing to lay your self on the altar as a sacrifice. It's never easy. It's usually very, very hard. Sacrifice always involves giving up something we hold dearly. What I always seem to forget though, is that God gives it back to you in a myriad of ways. He provides. He strengthens. And in the giving up, He gives joy.
Even in February. In Michigan. In snow. In sub-zero temperatures. So, burn something on the altar this week. See if it doesn't warm you up a little bit.
And it had been one of those days. You know, the ones where it feels like everyone needs a little piece of you? I'm finding the problem is I like the idea of being a mentor, helping those that are a little newer in their faith-walk move forward and grow. I like the idea of coming alongside those I minister with and listening and encouraging them. I like the idea of it. The problem is sometimes I just don't like the work of it. And it does involve work.
It can be hard to set aside what you're focused on and really listen to someone who is lonely. It takes patience to offer counsel to someone who is struggling with the same issue today as yesterday, and often the day before. It can be soul-wearying to encourage a co-worker when the same critics are continuing to drain the life and joy out of their ministry week after week. Doing these things is more than work. It's sacrifice. It's laying aside your own agenda, your own to-do list, your own life. It's choosing to lay your time on the altar as a sacrifice. Choosing to lay your stuff on the altar as a sacrifice. Choosing to lay your self on the altar as a sacrifice. It's never easy. It's usually very, very hard. Sacrifice always involves giving up something we hold dearly. What I always seem to forget though, is that God gives it back to you in a myriad of ways. He provides. He strengthens. And in the giving up, He gives joy.
Even in February. In Michigan. In snow. In sub-zero temperatures. So, burn something on the altar this week. See if it doesn't warm you up a little bit.
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5 comments:
One of the pastors at Kensington said Sunday that the problem with living sacrifices is that they're always crawling off the altar :)
I liked this one, a lot! Youth ministry is soooo much like this very thing. Sacrifice..... it's the heart of ministry itself, not because we want to either, it's because we're given the calling to.
AMEN! (and thanks ;-)
Thanks for the post. I especially like the last line: "So, burn something on the altar this week. See if it doesn't warm you up a little bit."
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