October 19, 2010

There's No Such Thing As "Just"

The other day I had the chance to speak to some of our ministry volunteers in preparation for a major event in the life of our church. I wanted to pass along some of what I shared with them because the principle I shared with them applies to every ministry.

There Is No Such Thing As "Just" In God's Kingdom.

Every week there are awesome people who get to church early or stay late in order to serve. However, there are also days where those people think to themselves, "I'm just saying hello to people as they come in," "I'm just rocking this baby," or "I'm just trying to get through this kid's class without killing anybody." Most of us have those days. On those days we question whether what we're doing is really making a difference. Let me assure you that what you do matters. You may think you're just smiling and saying hello, but to that person who is giving God & the church one last chance, you're helping to create a warm, inviting environment that takes them a step closer to encountering God in the worship service. You may think you are just taking care of babies & toddler, but you're actually helping lay their spiritual foundations while serving their parents so that they can worship without squirmy kids crawling all over the place. What you do matters.

Imagine if you didn't do what you do. Imagine if there wasn't a friendly face to meet a newcomer & to get them the information they need. There's a good chance they would never get comfortable enough in your church to let down their guard long enough to experience God in worship. Imagine if you didn't provide a safe, secure place for children. Moms & dads would be more focused on if their kid is OK than on listening to God's word. The thing that you think you're just doing may be the very thing that allows someone to encounter God; it may be the one thing that makes their experience with church so positive that they decide they'll be back next week & maybe even bring another family with them.

There is no such thing as JUST.

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