A few years ago I was talking with a lady at church. I said that I really liked the worship leader’s tie, but that I did not have the right build / frame to wear it. I told her that I thought on me that it would look like I borrowed a tie from my father. She commented that is how it was with women's fashions for her many times. She told me that she sees a lot of things that she likes, but that they would never look good on her particular build. Like most things in my life, that made me start thinking, but not on the topic - fashion / clothes - that was currently being discussed .
What came to my mind is the fact that many times we as Christians may see a ministry that looks good, functions well, is successful, and maybe even something we would like to do, but we do not have the right make up for it. An example music ministry, someone may love church music but not be able to perform it. We may like what is going on with the children or the youth, but we do not like short attention spans or lack of focus. Maybe we enjoy hearing good teaching, but we do not like to study. The list is endless.
My point in this is two fold. First, I have always believed that even if we are not specifically gifted to do a particular part of a ministry, that we can usually find something in that ministry that we can do. If we love music, but can not sing or play at instrument, then we can volunteer to help organize practice or help with the sound or something else. If you like the work being done with the children or youth, but can not personal help out - for whatever reason, then help those ministries with some campaign (retreats, fund raisers, etc), or perform some administrative duty that does not require direct interaction with the kids. If you like good teaching, but hate to study, then help get more people to come to the class your excellent teacher is leading. If that is not your thing, then you can help with some other task within their ministry. Simply put, to many Christians assume that there are only one or two positions in every ministry, usually the visible ones, when in reality most ministries have a lot of background positions that need to be filled or supported.
The second point is a bit more painful. Sometimes we have to accept that we can not do everything that we want to do. We are just not cut out for everything. That is why we are each uniquely and specially gifted. If we, you, or I could do everything, then no one else would be needed. That contradicts God’s plan to use His PEOPLE to do His work, and denies the nature of the body of Christ.Most Christians know that we are all vital and that we each perform important functions within the body. We just have to find the right place that God has for us to serve. What we have to remember is that is not always the same as the place as where we WANT to be. It comes down to trusting God over our selfish desires to do specific things within the body. The great thing is that once we finally trust God enough to do what He is calling us too, then we will be much happier and more successful within those ministries then we would have been ever been if we had pursued our own ministry desires.
Sometimes it is even our "friends" that help put us and keep us in the wrong place. They all tell us how much we need to do a particular thing, or how good we would be at. They tell us how much they like doing something and how we should try it too. Everyone we know teaches a class so we start one. Everyone we knows sings in church, so we do. Everyone we know works with children, so we do. You know the pattern. We select our ministries not by our spiritual gifts, but by their popularity with our friends. This virtually insures us of a failed position within the body. This can, and usually does, also deter us from trying other ministries, which are probably the ones that we should be doing anyway.
Many times Satan does not have to defeat us as we have already placed ourselves in positions that we are destined to fail at. Satan is more then happy to leave us there. We then usually remain there as it is comfortably safe and secure, even if it is failing. Personally, I think most people would rather fail at what they know as it is typically safer then risking change and potential greater failure elsewhere. That one human trait probably keeps more people down then any other human trait. Change is scary.
Today, I am challenging you to check your on ministries, to be sure you have found your correct place of service. In addition, I am encouraging you to challenge those around you to be sure they are in their correct places of service as well.It is like I told someone that was complaining about a pastor / church one time. I told them that they should go to a church where the pastor / leadership was more in line with their call to ministry. The issue was that they had been at the church for a long time and their friends were there too. I pointed out to them that their presence at their current church was limiting the grow of their current churches and limiting the growth of the other church as well. The first is true as they are in the wrong place currently to minister properly, and the second one is true because the other church probably needs their specific gifts to grow. Bottom line, their desire to stay where they had been for a long time was not just hurting their current church, but also the one that they were suppose to be at. That is not even mentioning the limits they were placing on their own spiritual life. They had nothing to say to me after that.
Know that God wants to use you to move His kingdom forward. He has a place of service for you, you just have to be sure you find it. God is active and He is moving, stay with Him and the ride will be amazing.
