Discipleship

What are you ministering?

Often times in my life I have felt like if I am not in a ministry position at my church I am not ministering. Doesn’t have to be a title or even be paid but I would find myself thinking I needed to teach or lead or be on the prayer team or something in order for it to qualify as ministry.

I knew in my head that that was not the case. I knew that my first ministry is to my family and I still never felt like that was enough.

I have come to the realization that sometimes ministry doesn’t look the traditional way we see it. Jesus’ ministry was not confined to the traditional way of teaching! He spent less time in churches and synagogues than out of them. So why do I think that I am so special, why do I think that I am any different that my discipleship is supposed to look one way or another?

I am in a season in my life where, yes I am still involved in my local church and, yes I still serve most weeks in some form or another and I love it! However, I have begun to learn over the last couple years that is not where my ministry focus is at this time. Don’t get me wrong I love what I do and I wouldn’t trade that for anything, AND... “at church” is only a tiny portion of my ministry, not the whole.

Discipleship is not simply telling someone do this or don’t do this. Discipleship is not just watching on the sidelines and cheering all the time. Discipleship does not always look like a 1hr bible study and a weekly guide. (Don’t get me wrong, that is all good and...)

Discipleship is so much more. Discipleship is doing life together.

Living out loud for the good, the bad, and the ugly. Living in the non-scripted parts of life. We are always teaching those around us whether it is beneficial or not.

So what is my life shouting? Not while I am at church, but when I am at work and things go wrong? What is it shouting when I am with a team of kids and no one is doing what they are supposed to? What is it shouting when my house is a mess and I have a to-do list a mile long? It’s easy to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle and the to-dos of ministry, but how are we ministering to the people that we are actually doing everyday life with? How are we loving the people that see us everyday? Are we speaking identity and love? Are our lives pointing them to Jesus? I have to remember that it should not be me that they are following, but instead that my whole life, my one goal, is that the way I live my life should always be pointing those around me to Jesus.

I want my life to shout the love of a good, good Father. One who is trustworthy. One who is passionate and creative. One who gives good gifts and builds me up. One who knows and calls out my identity.

Father, help me to place my life, my actions, my words in Your hands so that those around me come to trust You with their lives. Help me to carry Your name well as Your forever adopted daughter. Help me to speak identity and love to everyone I encounter big or small. Open my eyes to better understand, see, and act on the opportunities that You provide for me to point people to Jesus throughout this week. May everyone who reads these words seek out ways to live out true discipleship with those around them in a tangible, touchable way. Thank You Father.