Skip to main content

Am I All Here?



“Wherever you are, be all there, live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”- Jim Elliott, 1927-1956.

Philip James "Jim" Elliott was an evangelical Christian who was one of five missionaries killed while participating in Operation Auca, an attempt to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador.

My wife and I served in youth ministry for thirty-three years. I must admit there were times where I had trouble following Jim Elliott's advise.  I didn't want to be there. Whether it was a conference or retreat, a small group discussion, or a one-on-one discipleship appointment, there were times when I just wanted to go home. Sometimes I just wanted to be somewhere else. I’m not proud of this. I'm just being real.

Maybe it was burn out, or just the boredom that comes with repetition.  Maybe it was my flesh fighting against the Spirit. Maybe I was tired.  It really doesn't matter what the cause.  What matters was the solution. 

If you had asked me, "Has God called you to this ministry?" I would have said, "Yes, absolutely!"  If you had asked, "Do you love teenagers and have a sincere desire to minister to them?" I would have said, "Yes, most of the time :)."  In other words, the majority of the time I honestly felt that the situation was indeed the will of God.  I just needed the added fortitude and discipline to be fully engaged.

Galatians 6:9 (ESV)
9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Over the years I have learned a simple way of handling my emotions when I feel I want to withdraw from a situation that I honestly feel is the will of God for me at that moment:

  1. Stop and ask yourself, "Do I honestly believe that what I am doing at this moment is in line with God's call on my life?"
  2. If it is, I tell myself, "This is an opportunity to love God and obey Him at this moment by focusing my attentions to the people or project at hand."
  3. I ask the Lord to fill me with His Spirit according to Ephesians 5:18
  4. I trust God for the power to truly embrace the moment and give it my all.

I've found this "self-talk" to be helpful in a variety of everyday situation as well:

  • When important meetings go way too long.
  • When someone you love is telling a story with far too many details.
  • When your children/ grandchildren are out of control.
  • Any time you want to live in the moment but feel pulled away.

      58      Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

 New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), 1 Co 15:58.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Asleep or Awake?

  When you think about it, sleep is a very strange thing.   We’ve been doing it since we were born, and studies show infants sleep even in the womb.    They say you will spend a third of your life in this state.   As I get older, I find myself sleeping more.   When possible, I like a short nap after lunch, although these short naps seem to be getting longer all the time.   But consider for a minute the state of sleep: We are removed from the day-to-day realities. We may have dreams that take us on exciting or scary adventures. We are in a state of vulnerability. (A thief could break in and steal). We do not have full control of our faculties. (People sometimes hurt themselves while sleepwalking ). The Bible often uses sleeping as a metaphor for spiritual sluggishness.   We are admonished to "wake up".   Here are few of the most notable examples: “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who...
7 comments
Read more

Blessed to be a blessing

  So, where do we get the common phrase, "blessed to be a blessing"?   The idea comes originally from the book of Genesis where God appears to Abraham .  “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing . I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed .” (Genesis 12:1-3, ESV) If you think about it, this is a pretty radical idea. Not only does almighty God want to bless those who respond in faith, but also that He wants to work through us to bless others! 1.       God wants to bless us. Our heavenly Father loves us dearly as any father would love their very own children. “For God so loved the world , that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal li...
3 comments
Read more

The Fear Power Gospel

  We live in a world where we often feel vulnerable. There are earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, mudslides, etc. As children were often scared of spiders, snakes, and large dogs.   There is much in our physical world to be afraid of.   But beyond the physical world, there is also the world of men.   We may experience the fear of rejection or the fear of failure . If we’ve lost a loved one, we may develop the fear of abandonment . In other words, we often feel powerless and vulnerable in this world. Fortunately, we don’t feel this way all the time. Unfortunately, we do feel fear more often than we would like. You may be interested to know that this was not the original design. God intended for humans to live in close fellowship with him, always feeling his protection and his love. We were to live in a world that was safe- in a world where we had control over the forces around us. But unfortunately, man decided to go his own way, and when he rebelled agains...
2 comments
Read more