Breathe. Step back. Make some space. Make some room.
Something amazing that I have experienced on my team over these last four months is efficiency. God gave us amazing brains and minds that have the capacity and ability to plan, organize, and make schedules. Schedules honor people’s time. Organization eliminates a lot of chaos. Planning makes sure that good things get done, and that they get the time they deserve. These abilities are really good things, and they’re gifts that God has given to us to be efficient and productive with. A lot of things wouldn’t get done without these.
My team is really good at three of these things. From ministry opportunities, like planning events at the cafe we got to serve at in Botswana, to making our grocery list every week, we work extremely well together.
But since God is kind and never wants us to reach a cieling in our growth, he has once again convicted me. And I truly believe this is a word for the church of America, the church as a whole, and especially the church as an organization. Please give me grace as I share this, especially over technology, and please seek the Lord’s heart in this. He is much better at communicating his heart than I am.
We need to stop planning so much. We need to stop being so organized. We need to STOP being so efficient and self sufficient. The heartbeat of the church should be reliance on and dependance upon the Lord. If we are doing things that we can do all on our own, then we are not doing the right things. Our dreams should reach way beyond what our own hands can accomplish and minds figure out.
At the organization I worked at in Haiti, they had this very goal. To dream bigger than themselves. To dream at a level that only could be met by the Lord and his miraculous provision. When hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Texas, they were convicted to pray about how much of the food in their warehouse to send to flood victims. Their warehouse is extremely large and they are able to feed 90,000 kids hot meals everyday with the food they have stored there. They decided that the church serves the church. They believed that even though Haiti IS in desperate need of food, God provides, especially when his people are faithful to act out of their trust in him. So they sent all the food. Their warehouse was empty, and 90,000 stomachs still needed food the next day and the day after thay. That week, a shipment arrived at their warehouse that no one was expecting or aware of. The shipping had been covered and the whole load paid for. The shipment COMPLETELY refilled their warehouse. If you don’t have chills, I don’t know what to say.
The point of this story, besides giving the Lord a huge round of applause, is to highlight the faith it took, the change of plans it took, and the humility for an organization to give up what they had to meet the needs of the church. To truly be the church.
Sometimes organizations need to give up organization. Sometimes plans need to be changed. Sometimes efficiency needs to laid down so that the Spirit has room to work. My team plans down to the last detail, which, in a way, is prideful. It says that we can do this without God. We can manage the full weight of our day. We can take on the challenge of planning the future. Sometimes, all the time, God knows best, and knows that in our lack he is there. In our lack of organization, he has big plans. In our lack of ideas, he has big dreams. In our lack for words, he has the best things to say.
Don’t you long to see AL that the living, breathing, creator of this universe could do? Don’t you crave the fullness of the spirit? Don’t you see that we are always in need of more of God? Don’t you see lack? I know I do.
I see a lack of boldness. I see a lack of generosity. I see a lack of invitation for the Spirit to even be present. I see a lack of space.
So maybe the best thing for the church right now is to stop being an organization: an organizing, planning, efficient group of people. But a group of broken people, joining together, decided on dependance on the Lord. Chosing to admit a need in the midst of a lack. Chosing to say that God’s dreams are way better than our plans. Chosing to say that even we we are capable of planning, the Lord’s presence and movement is much more important.
Wholly trusting the Lord. Fully relying on his name.
I was told today that when you have great hope, you carry great influence. I have so much hope for the church. I believe that Christ is doing a great work, carrying it to completion, so that we WOULD BE generous, bold, encouraging, and completely dependent on the Lord. So my prayer is that because of this hope, these words would be influential.
Thank you for your grace. Thank you for lending an ear. I pray this this is only encouraging and not condeming or shaming. I pray that it motivates you, and leads you to your knees as you ask the Father for direction and vision. I pray that you ask him what he has planned for the day before you bring him your schedule and agenda. I pray that in that, you would see the miracles in store, and the dreams he has for you. For the church.
To the church, please stop planning so much.
