Last week ministry looked like a lot of manual labour. I enjoy manual labour and I believe that it can be a great ministry. There is nothing quite like that feeling of accomplishment when you finish a project. That feeling is even more pronounced when that project has been created with love for the purpose of Gods ministry.
As I informed you in an earlier blog, we had the privilege of working with John, a missionary in Ecuador. On our last day of ministry working at the seminary, John was our teacher in stick welding. Welding is something that I never really thought that I would do, especially not for ministry. Remembering that I had mentioned that my dad is a welder, one of my teammates graciously bowed out and said that I should go and learn to weld so he could see pictures of me welding. That was an awesome moment and I feel closer to my dad just being able to do this now. I can’t wait to get home and show him what I am able to do.
Welding with John and my teammates was a lesson in following God. It is strange to learn to weld. You are blind once the mask goes dark and the only light is the glow from the hot metal and the welding stick. You can only watch the glow from behind the safety of the mask. Through the noise of the shop, your teacher is telling you to slow down and go closer with the stick. It is an awesome feeling to weld and to know that at the end you have created something new.
This is like following God; He is the one light and guide in your life. When your eyes are focused on Him, all else is dark around you, He provides the light to guide your steps just as the light from the welding stick creates the glow to guide your hands. Sometimes you need to slow down and listen to Him, to hear what you need to do. Sometimes you need to draw closer to Him, be intimate and feel His love. Just as the process of welding moulds the pieces of metal together to create a new thing, God moulds us, fitting the pieces of our hearts and souls together, adding new pieces in when He sees fit to create something new and beautiful. He makes us into something to be used by Him. God is creating us to be the people He has planned for us to be, just as the welder creates the object that is planned.
Throughout this 11 month journey God will be working through everyone on my squad; changing them, moulding them and creating them into a new and beautiful piece of art to further His Kingdom. He definitely isn’t finished with any of us yet. He has work to do, but we have to remember that He has to be our light and guide. We have to stayed focused on Him even through the darkness, like the welder following the glow from the welding stick. We may not always know what is in our future but we can trust that it will be right because Gods plan for us is wonderful.
