Every month I get Facebook messages, voicemails, and emails asking me "what's your ministry this month?". Every month half way through we start hounding our team leader and squad leaders, "what's our ministry next month?". Sometimes when I am frustrated with the ministry I've been given for the month I start becoming jealous of someone else's ministry and catch myself daydreaming of my ideal ministry.
This past week I was telling my teammate about India, and how I want that to be my full time ministry. She challenged me, "What if God calls you to America?" I didn't like this question so I responded, "why on earth would he do something like that?" Not backing down from my sarcasm she said, "what if your ministry is an 9-5 office job, and you send missionaries out instead of being sent." I was honest, and told her thats not the ministry I want.
So what is ministry? Is it an assignment from God for a month or period of time? Is one ministry more important than the other? Do the important ministries require more and dedication?
God has taught me a lot about ministry over the past 6 months. I have learned that I prefer manual labor to relational. I've learned how to do ministry in a non-structured atmosphere, I've learned to work with people who dont have my same work ethics, because it doesn't matter what I'm doing for God. (that's not a typo). The biggest lesson He has talk me, it doesn't matter what my assigned ministry is, my heart posture towards the assignment is what matters.
- Am I serving with the right attitude?
- He has given me, entrusted me with people's souls, have I done everything He has asked of me?
- Have I held back because I selfishly didn't want was given to me, so I gave less than 100%?
Reflecting on those questions, I have come to this conclusion….I quit ministry. I want my life to become ministry, every aspect of my life. I don't want to report for ministry the way I report for a job, I don't want to feel like I am entitled to have a day off. I want every day to present itself with opportunities to minister to everyone I meet. My prayer is that my heart is always in the right posture to do whatever it is that God tells or asks me.
