There is a tension that exists between being and doing. On the one hand, I feel like I signed up for
this thing- secured $13000.00 worth of support from family and friends- to
spend the year “ministering” to people around the world. Doing.
Making plans and doing stuff and checking off my list at the end of the
day. Feeling good about myself and the
work I’ve done if I’m able to check off a lot of stuff. Beating myself up if I don’t.
But there’s a part of me that knows better. I know God is more interested in my “being”
than my “doing”. I know a big part of
this year is about what God is doing in me- what and who I am becoming… rather
than what I’m doing.
And then I hear this phrase “Ministry Happens”. Our missionary contact down here has really
encouraged us to rest this week and not stress so much about making plans and
doing them. He has told us repeatedly to
just follow Christ and “ministry happens”.
I was walking around town the other night and all of a
sudden I got this idea for a great church skit.
See if you can follow this:
A couple of tents are
set-up on your church stage and the lights are dimmed. As the lights gradually come up (it’s morning!),
James and John and Peter get out of their tent.
John is asking how everyone slept, James is complaining about the rocks
under his tent and Peter is just grumpy.
They sit down for a box of cereal and start planning their day. Let’s start off at the school, we’ll play
with the kids and hang out. Then we can
go to the hospital and volunteer to hold babies. And let’s stop by the church and see if there’s
anything we can help with.
A few minutes later a
well rested Jesus comes out of his tent and Peter begins to outline the day for
him. Almost as an afterthought he asks
Jesus if He will go with them for the day- how His presence would really bless
everyone.
Jesus agrees that the
plans they’ve made are fine and good, but really, He had planned on something
entirely different for the day.
Which way do they go? Where and when does “ministry” happen?
When we are walking
with Jesus, how can ministry not happen?
Today I was walking into town thinking about these
things. Suddenly, I was aware that I was
having a lengthy, wonderful conversation about this in my head and I thought…why
am I talking to myself about this when I should be talking to God? So I started praying something like, “Lord,
help me figure out this tension between doing and being. I don’t want to just spend the day blogging
and running errands and getting ready to leave town. Help me walk with You so that I can have just
one “ministry happens” moment. Amen.”
About 10 seconds later I walked passed an elderly Guatemalan
gentleman and we exchanged pleasantries, “Hola….Buenos tardes” and then he
said, “Como si dice en Ingles something or another”…He was asking me how we say
in English “thank you” after a meal or something. So I stopped and talked and quickly
discovered that he knew a lot more English than I know Spanish. I think he knew very well what to say in
English after you’ve eaten dinner (that was great, thanks for dinner or
whatever). I think the Lord prompted him
to talk to me. We talked for several
minutes. His name is Benjamin and he’s
lived here all of his 82 years. He said
he’s met Americans from California
and Texas and Mississippi
and other places. He said this is the
best time of the year to visit Antigua because the mood
here turns very spiritual in the weeks leading up to Easter. He described all the pageantry (over 1000
people in a reenactment of the Passion).
He has been a Christian for a long time.
He let me pray for him and he was so tickled that he started talking all
over again…asking me about my age and how long I would be here and if I thought
I would return someday.
If you’re walking with Christ, Ministry Happens.
I don’t know what I’ll do after The World Race. I could go back to a church. I could start an orphanage in Eastern
Europe. I might lead some
trips overseas. When I do whatever I do,
my t-shirt will read, “MinistryHappens”.
I bought the domain name today- www.ministryhappens.org.
LOL- I don’t know what I’m doing next, but at least I have a
name for it!
