Bloody Right Toe

Oh, but I'm not done.

I hate seeing people live for their ministries because they love their ministries. I know, sounds weird. The thing is, when we finally figure out what it is God created us for, it is awesome! There's nothing more that we want than to dive into that one thing--whether loving kids, building homes, healing sick, enriching education, whatever. Finally, we find something worth pouring everything into. We give all that we are to this one thing. Everything. It's exhausting and painful, and we grow tired and weary and drained in our service. But, Love inspires us again. We find new energy and motivation and passion, and we jump back in.

This is a good thing, but it's so dangerous. Our ministry should be a means to God, but too often it becomes our end, our God. We do it because we've finally found something that encourages us, something that brings us purpose and joy and affirmation, because that's what we were created for, right? Ephesians 2 talks about how God created us for the good works s/he prepared for us to do long ago. So yes--we were created to do good works, but that was never supposed to be our focus. When our ministry versus our God becomes our focus, we start experiencing doubt and jealousy and gobs of other emotions. And we wonder why we're so burned out.

It's just so hard when we finally find that one thing in life that we really care about. Before long, we start doing that one thing for that one thing's own sake and not because it's the best way we can respond to God. Our expressions of love for others in our ministries should come of the overflow of love we have for God. It has to come out of that overflow. The problem when we start focusing on our ministry first and God second is that "then our service becomes self-centered instead of God centered, people- rather than God-pleasing" (Marva Dawn, Joy In Weakness). When this happens, our ministry has lost all effectiveness.

I love what Marva Dawn says on this subject. She goes on to say: "We cannot do eternal work if we do not work for the sake of the eternal One. We mistake the journey for its end and love the road instead of the One who called us to walk on it. This is an especially great danger because then our service points to the wrong focus. We do not direct others to God, but to our work, our deeds, ourselves."

Yes, I am preaching to myself. I'm trying to constantly talk to my kids and others about God, how God can renew and transform and change us. I have no right to make these claims, though, if I am not allowing God to do these things in my own life, to transform me.

I have a lot of thoughts running through my head right now. I guess the point I'm trying to make is where are you pointing? Is your ministry a response of your love for God, or is your ministry your first love? Is everything you do pointing back to your own work and your own ministries, or is everything you do pointing back to God?

(Also, if what I've said here doesn't apply to you only because you don't think you have a ministry, find one now! Look around you, go back to your bloody left toe, and care about something. The world can't afford to wait. Something isn't getting done in God's kingdom because of our present inaction.)