This month our ministry was different than it has been the past two months. This month was an ATL month, which stands for Ask The Lord.
That means:
We didn’t have a set ministry.
We didn’t have a host.
We didn’t have a set city, or a place to stay.
We woke up each morning, and asked the Lord what He had in store for us.
It’s simple, but not always easy.
At the suggestion from my squad leader Carson, I started each morning by asking God “what is enough for today?” This question was a game-changer for me. If I defined my activity in a day by what the Lord’s expectations are, then I can reap what He wants me to reap instead of trying (and typically failing) to meet the mile-long to-do lists that I create for myself.
At the start of the month, I felt the Lord say to me “be still, you can go anywhere as long as you seek me daily.” So that’s what I tried to do. Never in my life have I had literally no obligations besides seeking the Lord daily. And the best part about this month? It looked more like home than the World Race. Why is that the best part? Because at some point, I will go home, and I won’t have ministry hosts instructing me on how to serve each day. Everyday will be an ATL day. Life is mission, mission is life. What today, Lord? What is enough for today?
Yes we “did things” this month. The Lord brought me many connections with locals, from my new Muslim friends who introduced us to halal food and had an open and loving discussion about Islam and Christianity with us. We invited two high schoolers over to hang out with us and play games. I shared my faith with a stranger in a coffee shop. But more important to me (and, I believe, to God too) than what I did is who I became.
Very early in this month the question surfaced in my mind, can my own soul be ministry?
I heard the Lord say this to me:
“You don’t have to toil to grow. I am planting things in you during this season. A tree just sits in the sun, soaks up water and nutrients, and grows. Sit in me and soak up soul nutrients. I love you Megan, read my notes to you. Think about how loved you are.”
So this month in Bulgaria, I saw the capitol of Sofia and the oldest city in Europe of Plovdiv. I climbed a mountain. I saw ancient ruins and I saw the poor and wounded begging for money. I saw my teammates grow. I saw us choose and love each another. I abided in love. I abided in Christ. I grew closer to Him. I grew closer to my teammates. I grew as a person. I spent a lot of time “being still” to allow Him to do what He wanted in my heart. I quieted my own voice, so I could hear His whenever He would whisper to talk to the woman next to me on the bus, to buy my teammate an unexpected gift, or to simply tell me what He thinks of me.
Ministry was the people God brought to me. Ministry was my teammates. Ministry was me.
Through it all, I became more of the person God created me to be. I became more equipped to live my life on mission for Him.
“True ministry comes from a place of overflow and intimacy with God.”
