Hey all! I know it’s been quite a while since I’ve updated but God still has me on the mission of face-to-face ministry and I’m trying to be obedient there and I must say I’m in a really good place as far as that goes. To be honest, I started to feel quite guilty when people knew who I was, knew my struggles, knew my heart but I didn’t know theirs! I’m not limiting how much I may or may not blog in the future, but for the past few months, I’ve felt God saying that this was becoming too distant of a ministry and that I needed to be more present and intentional in the lives of individuals rather than the masses, so to speak. So that’s what I’ve been doing! And it’s been amazing, rewarding, God-honoring, and truly very refreshing.
But with all that said, I have been mulling over a few things lately that I felt have really helped me keep perspective in servanthood. We know God wants us to live with a servant’s heart but in our day and age that can quickly lead to burnout or even just confusion over where to start. If I can help with that for even one person, then I will be really glad to break my streak of not blogging.
My husband is one of the members of the teaching team at our church plant (another blog just waiting to be written!), and on Sunday he preached about something near and dear to my heart, which is serving. He based his message off of Galatians 5:13-14, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the flesh; rather, serve one another in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” Looking at our faith through this lens is so invigorating and empowering. What an honor to serve in Christ’s name!
But here’s what I really wanted to share. I wanted to share what I’ve found to be my secret for keeping a positive attitude and a desire to continue serving, regardless of the circumstance and here it is:
Express gratitude and give appreciation whenever possible, but never, ever expect it.
This may sound simple enough but if you really take it in and apply it to your own life you can see that it may just be the key to serving joyfully in all circumstances and if you’re looking for opportunities to encourage others and that becomes your heart’s desire, it really won’t phase you if your efforts go unnoticed. This philosophy has kept me humble in ministry and kept me from ending up doing acts of service where there’s recognition of some sort. Not that recognition is horrible, but it sure shouldn’t be the goal, right?!
Maybe everyone already knows this and I’m late to the party, but I really wanted to share this because it has helped me so much.
And if you haven’t found a means of serving that seems to quite fit yet, I encourage you to apply this to that area. Don’t limit yourself only to opportunities that your local church offers, though that is of course a great place to start. But when you find a means of serving that energizes you and doesn’t drain and to where you would continue to serve even if no one ever knew you were there, then in my humble opinion, that’s the one for you. Disclaimer, of course we can all have more than one important ministry in our lives.
Hopefully this all makes sense, give me a little grace, it’s been a while!
And hey if you’ve made it this far, I’ll give a little life update. Cancer-wise, everything is steady and stable and besides little things here and there, I’m feeling great. So a deep, heartfelt “thank you” to those who have prayed for me over the years, it is much appreciated! And I very much miss interacting with those of you I’ve “met” through blogging.
A few little updates, our family has grown by 7 chickens, 1 duck, and a kitten. Buck and Mater, Eric, and the kids are all doing well, and I hope this message finds you well, too!
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