Reconsidering "Our Ministry"

Recently, like a week or so ago, I said something pretty lame. We had breakfast, which turned into more of a brunch by the time we finished talking, with our Sunday school teacher and his wife, who I think of more as our super inspiring brother & sister in Christ. We talked a lot about the church, and we started talking about how if we moved our Sunday school meeting time to another time in the week (as our group has mildly been discussing) that Neil & I would love to get involved in working with another area in the church like children’s or youth ministry during that original time. I told them that we really value our time with them, because we have been so blessed to have some super inspiring brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage us and exhort us each week, and that if it didn't work out for us to meet at a different time, we would rather stay in the class than work in a different area of the church, because ultimately… (and then I said it)…

“our work at the children’s home is our ministry”…

During our last break, we partied it up in our own "we still feel new to Florida and love exploring" kind of way. We visited Mount Dora, a quaint little town full of culture with adorable local shops and restaurants, we visited Downtown Disney (which is like the complete opposite of Mount Dora), we went to Siesta Key Beach, we went on an amazing 2-day trip to Saint Augustine to celebrate our last 3 rockin’ years of marriage, and we went to other random local Lakeland places like the mall, library, movies, etc. It was very refreshing to not have to worry about anyone else, take time for ourselves, and to just take a break from our job, our ministry, but then, I think it was in Saint Augustine, I started to wonder,

is God pleased by this?

When did I start to think that compartmentalizing ministry for God was okay?

People are my ministry all the time, every day, not my job, and not just when I schedule it, or when it is convenient for me… actually, I think it is better said that people are God’s ministry, and I should make myself available for His use to minister to them.

I’m not saying that it's worthless to be a part of a program aimed at doing ministry, like working at a job with a Christian organization, or helping out in an area of the church, or serving in the community or elsewhere, but I’m also not saying that being a part of said programs equates with God-honoring ministry.

And, I’m not saying that taking a break from the routine of life, or going to check out God’s amazing creation, both natural and man-made, are inappropriate uses of time either.

I’m just saying that I think God most often uses and is pleased with those who don’t compartmentalize Him or His ministry, and that I for one need to stop looking at the kids I work with as my only ministry. Instead, I need to see all the people God places in my life as people He can encourage or exhort through me, whether it be my coworker, my cousin or my Castillo de San Marcos tour guide.

While I may feel a little silly initially, I love when God takes my words or actions to show me my immaturity, and then uses that revelation to teach me and grow me; the lesson just seems to stick a little better. How about you? Has God taught you any lessons this way lately?