I have a confession to make. Get ready Mom because you're going to like this one. I spend way too much time trying to decide what to wear when I'm getting ready to ....well when I'm getting ready for just about anything. Including ministry.
Before my mom nods her head right off in vehement agreement, I just want to remind her that she raised me.
As I was deciding between the pink cardigan or my spiffy orange jacket or my more subdued denim standby this morning, I was convicted once again with that familiar statement. No, the statement wasn't "You're spending too much time on what to wear." The familiar voice always says something more along the lines of, "Kay, this is not about you!"
And indeed it's not.
I'm going to my bi-weekly MOPS meeting where I serve as a mentor mom. That simply means that I'm with a group of moms but I'm the one who is generally about ten to fifteen years older, no longer wearing cute mini-skirts, certainly not pregnant, and my collar doesn't have spit-up on it. I'm the one (along with the other six mentor moms) who they keep around in case they have a question like "How did you potty train your kids before they started school?" or "Do you ever get to go to the bathroom by yourself again?" or "What do you do when your child bites another child?"
When they ask me these questions I try really hard to think back that far and remember what I did. Then I just make something up that sounds like something James Dobson would say.
I love going to these MOPS mornings because they serve coffee and breakfast yummies and I get to sit around big round tables with young chicks and talk women stuff. ALL of those things really appeal to me. This is right up my alley.
That's why I have to remind myself on these Mondays as I'm browsing through my closet and trying to find something half as cute as all the young things will be wearing that it is NOT ABOUT ME. It's not that I'm naturally that self-centered. Ok, maybe I am. But the bigger dilemma is that the whole girly morning is just so fun and feminine that I honestly forget that I'm supposed to be serving and not being served.
This is a huge confession on my part. Please don't judge me too harshly.
So, as has become my custom every other Monday morning, I am verbally reminding myself over and over and over that this is not about me. I say it as I get dressed, as I put on my make-up, as I take the dogs out, and as I watch the coffee drip ever so slowly. I say it to God several times in my prayers and talk about it with Him some more as I drive to the church. And this morning I'm even laying it out there for you.
Ministry is not about me. Praise the Lord, sometimes it's so fun doing what you're called to do that you forget that it's even ministry. You forget it's about serving and loving on others. You forget it's about being sensitive to those around you instead of being the star of the show yourself. And you forget that it's about more than just having fun and drinking coffee with cute young moms. It's about listening for the unspoken problem, the broken heart, the insecurities, and the loneliness so you can minister a little understanding, some compassion and maybe, just maybe, a word of godly wisdom.
So this morning, like every second and fourth Monday morning, I'm trying to remember that it's not about me - about what I'm wearing, who I get to sit with, what yummies I get to have for breakfast, or how wise I come off sounding. It's about these sweet young moms. It's about God being glorified and honored. It's about service.
Do you have a hard time remembering that ministry is not all about you, too?
Oh, please tell me I am not the only one with this sick problem. If I am just make something up and make me feel better, for pete's sake!
I'd love to know what you do to keep the focus where it belongs in ministry. Do you have an appropriate Bible verse, a simple prayer, or a mantra like mine? Or have you learned this lesson through a particularly memorable event? I'd love to know.
By the way, I went with the bright pink sweater over my brown cropped pants. Not that I'm dwelling on that or anything...Labels: Ministry Mondays, MOPS, priorities, Women's Ministry
