In the conservative, Christian circles of which I tend to be apart of, there's this concept of living a life of ministry. It's a good concept, a Biblical one: to serve Christ with your life and to live according to His calling for you.
We take this concept and run with it, and passionately express to the world how we're called to serve, called to be persecuted, called to live uncomfortable lives. And then we condemn everyone who doesn't have this "heart" and who aren't excited about what we've deemed is true, proper Christian service.
We get excited about serving "the least of these" and going on mission trips to third world countries to sleep on hard church floors and wipe the noses of children in rags who are without proper medical care. We get excited about being sleep-deprived stay-at-home moms nursing babies, homeschooling children, and refereeing toddler squabbles. We get excited about taking care of kids during a Bible Study, making food for the family at church who just welcomed a new baby, or shoveling the snow for our elderly neighbor.
In our valiant effort to further Christ's gospel through service, everyday life, and lowly callings, through our human sinful natures, we lost sight of the why. We've become caught up in pride and judging our brothers and sisters in Christ. We've "reversed" ministry to mean that anything that feels exciting or glamorous must not be real ministry, and anything hard or menial must be the true ministry God wants from us. But while we criticize the Church for not having their perspective on ministry right, we've missed the point.
Does God want us to serve others in practical ways, embrace lowly callings, and serve Him in whatever we are doing? YES. But when we start serving the serving and not serving the God who orchestrates it all, something's gone wrong.
We judge our fellow believers who think missions is all about the glamorous ministry opportunities or the pastors who think successful church is about attendance numbers. How immature they are to not be "sanctified enough" to see that true ministry has to be menial and difficult. We scornfully declare that REAL ministry is about the little things, the jobs nobody sees, the uncomfortable and menial tasks that no one really wants to do. We idolize ministry. And in idolizing the very ministry God has set forth to be a good thing, we prioritize our "role" in God's kingdom as higher than our very relationship with Him.
God does not "call you" to missions or motherhood or mopping the floors in the church's bathroom just so you can feel good at the end of the day that you're "doing hard things" for God. God calls you to pursue JESUS. God calls you to seek first His kingdom, to draw nearer to Him, and to take up your cross daily to follow Him. THIS IS A BIG DEAL.
Does He give opportunities for service in our everyday lives, does He value the lowly tasks necessary for His kingdom work? Of course. A seemingly menial task does not make something less important in God's eyes, but neither does it magnify its importance either. I'm a fan of stay-at-home moms, missionaries, and people who are using their workplaces as mission fields. Are humble callings high callings in the Kingdom of God? Yes. But when we get caught up in the pride and self-righteousness of how good we must be to desire such lowly and challenging callings, we dishonor Christ.
We serve a God who loves us in a crazy huge way. HE DOES NOT NEED US. He does not need the humans he created to accomplish His eternal purposes. But He's gracious. He allows us to grow in Him to become sanctified in Jesus and to serve Him with our lives and advance His kingdom. We have this beautiful gift He's given us -- the privilege to be His children and serve Him with our lives. That's a treasure we must hold with a sacred and solemn heart. We must put aside our own agenda, as holy as it may seem in our eyes, to wake up every morning and say, "Lord God, what a privilege to serve you another day! How can I be used to praise Your name and further your Kingdom today?"
I love what Leslie Ludy has to say in this excerpt from her article, "Letters from the Mission Field":
"First, realize your destination: Jesus Christ. See Heb. 12:2. Your destination is not so much a geographical location; it is a Person. Whether you are a missionary, student, employee, or stay-at-home mom, your destination is the same. HE is your pursuit. HE is the direction you are headed—and you can go there now. Do not cast your eyes about, glancing overseas, wondering if it will be this or that city or country or people group. Keep your eyes firmly fixed on Him. Where He goes, you go. This simplifies things. You do not have to obsess over where you are headed or where God is calling you. God is calling you to pursue Jesus.
"Second, realize your occupation: Obedience. See Deut. 10:12-13. As long as you are obeying His command for you, you cannot possibly do anything more for the Kingdom of God. We often dislike what He has commanded us to do, so we invent something far more interesting and then expect Him to approve of it, without recognizing the presumption and pride of thinking that our plan is better than that of the Sovereign God. Your job is to follow, not lead, the Good Shepherd. Get very still before Him and learn to recognize His voice. Determine to only walk in obedience. If He has not given you light for the next step, do not take one on your own wisdom. Wait for Him to tell you. He is always trustworthy and faithful to lead, even when His guidance comes at the last minute.
"Third, recognize who missionaries are: Regular people just like you. When Cornelius fell down before Peter to worship him, Peter “took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.” (Acts 10:26). Unhealthy idolizing of a missionary is not good for you or the missionary. Jesus said, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Matt. 4:10). John Hyde, the man of prayer in India? Regular guy. Anyone could have what he had. God’s promises and blessings are open to all His children. George Mueller, the man of faith who made his request to God alone for supporting the orphan work? Ordinary man. You could have the same from God if you set yourself to trust Him the way Mr. Mueller did."
If you skimmed over that section and get nothing else from this little blog post of mine, take this quote from Ludy: "You do not have to obsess over where you are headed or where God is calling you. God is calling you to pursue Jesus."
We need Jesus. He does not need us, but we so desperately need Him. This song sums this up so well.
"I need you, God, but I want to need you more... I'm desperate for a desperate heart."
Lord Jesus, give us the grace, desperation, and humility to pursue and need YOU.
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