I generally enjoy doing ministry—provided of course that I’m in my “element”; my element usually consisting of human interaction on a highly relational level. I generally enjoy spending extended periods of time talking to folks, getting to know people, hearing about people’s lives, encouraging, talking about Jesus, whatever. So long as I’m operating in ministry within a sort of fluid, organic mode, I’m really serving the Lord. Please note the twinge of sarcasm there. Yes—I do find myself most easily serving the Lord within the realm where I am most naturally gifted and yes—a good deal of time that service is genuine and good. I in my carnal state though, I’m prone to take that and run with it until my service to God isn’t really service to God so much as it is medication to myself. By only serving in a way that is easy and enjoyable for me, I fulfill what my mind would like to see as “duty” without actually having to give much, if anything, of myself. Before long I might quietly say to myself: “Bill, your gift isn’t really stacking chairs, you should probably just migrate over to that snack table with everyone else and really serve God.”

I’m pretty certain now that the attitude is totally wicked and for me to over-emphasize God’s gifting in my own mind really just leads me down a dangerous path to complacency and selfishness and ultimately a whole slew of more disgusting sins.

This past Saturday, I had an excellent opportunity to be really challenged in this area. I was asked to help a photographer at my church take portraits for low income families. The idea was basically that he would set up the families, take their picture, hand me the memory card, I would process the picture and print out a high-quality eight by ten. We had everything set up in a gym with a about forty or fifty families. There were games, arts, crafts and other attractions. There were so many families that for about five hours it was a constant process of receiving the card, dumping the files on the computer, processing the pictures, printing the pictures and handing them off to be distributed to families. There wasn’t really too much breathing room.

My function that afternoon was largely mechanical. Totally synthetic. I couldn’t really have been too much more “out of my element”. At one point in the afternoon I became aware of this, and stubbornly I tried to extend myself into my element, despite my current commitment to serve in a different way. I decided to speak to a young man who was sitting in a chair a few feet away from me, gazing out the window. It took me a while to get it—he was deaf. It was unbelievably awkward and the commotion and madness around me didn’t really offer the opportunity for me to find some way to work around the communication barrier (which provided a different circumstance would have been appropriate). I got the point though—“Bill, stick to your duties; you’re serving in a different way right now.”

Having the chance to serve the Lord in a manner that isn’t particularly comfortable for me, or even that I’m naturally super good at, was stretching and encouraging. I am a part of the body of Christ; usually when opening a door, the hands are used but sometimes, if the hands are full, then a leg is used to open the door. It’s good to see that if I’m a leg, sometimes I’ll do a hand’s job. Either way, it is an honor and a privilege to serve the Lord.

Jesus, thank you for chances to be stretched and encouraged. Thank you for ordering your body as you see fit to your great glory. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your body. Jesus, I pray that you would continue to stretch, teach and encourage me. With the power of the Holy Spirit, sanctify me and your church for you glory, God.

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