Living in too much of a hurry and always wanting to be a doer, doer, doer of work, ministry etc. has been the downfall of many people. It has burned them out. In the long run, overburdening hurts our spiritual and physical wellbeing, and hurts the cause of Christ.
Yes, we want to minister and serve each other in the body of Christ. Yes, we want to reach those who don’t know Christ. But, don’t forget that God wants you to function at your best.
And during this time of being confined to our homes and practicing distances for our heath because of this Coronavirus, we can slow down. And yes, it is okay to pause and breathe! Do that!
Remember that God is still in control. Our God can handle this. Our God made the body of Christ to work and function so that when times like this come along, we can handle it too!
Please don’t get sucked into this misguided notion that now is the time to pull out all of the stops where ministry online events are concerned. Don’t get pulled into the ill-advised idea that as a leader you have to learn one more task of knowing how to connect online. There will always be one more task to learn. Just follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Allow some time to rest and recharge by being in the Word of God and in prayer. See what the Lord has for you.
Yes, check on your friends, family, neighbours and church members by text and phone calls. Yes, make sure everyone is doing well and that they have what they need. Yes, pray for each other, but please do that slow down and breathing thing.
I have been hearing about so many ministry leaders that are frazzled and just under pressure to connect with the people of their church online that they feel like they can’t concentrate on their own family. They feel like they can’t slow down ministry-wise because of these deceptive things they hear in their Facebook groups and from Christian blogs. Don’t let this online connecting thing give you anxiety! Please! Just listen to the Lord and to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Doing that will allow the loud voices from the peanut gallery that are giving you anxiety to quiet down.
Value this time that God has given you to reconnect with your husband (if you are married) and family. The body of Christ is still going to connect no matter what. Your church may have streaming services and it may not. God knows. And there will be connecting by agreeing in prayer no matter what.
The body of Christ went on way before the internet. We will get through this. The body of Christ is strong! You don’t have to be a super woman/man to get through what we are going through at the moment.
This is the perfect time to put programs, activities away for a while. Let’s just love on people. Let’s just pray for them. Let’s just encourage them with a text or phone call, or a message on social media. See what you can do for them on a practical level. Let’s just be there for them. Being there for other women and loving them is so much different than just making up things for them to do or be involved in online just because you heard it was a necessity.
And like an infectious virus, our love can be spread around too. We may be able to help people with groceries and tasks. We may be able to do a lot of things we could never do before. Those things done in love is what is going to matter down the road.
Of course, you can do Bible studies online, but don’t frazzle yourself to death over it. If you want to do that, do it simple. Just pick a passage for everyone to read at once and discuss online together. Maybe even just pick a verse to share every day on your social media. Don’t worry yourself over outlines or detailed studies. You don’t have to do online conferences and all the other things technology allows. You can do that, but no leader should feel it is a necessity. Simplify.
There is nothing wrong with leading and being an encouragement, but don’t put so much importance on yourself that it becomes prideful.
Slow down, pause, and breathe. Don’t let anyone intimidate you that you have to build some kind of ministry online connection in order to get through this time. Give yourself permission to take that mini vacation to recharge yourself physically and spiritually. It is okay to pause, even in ministry.
Sources
Gentle and Lowly - Dane Ortlund
God Does His Best Work with Empty - Nancy Guthrie
https://www.juliabettencourt.com/blog/
Experiencing God: Finding true passion, peace, joy, and rest in Christ - Tim Chester
The Resting Place - Bill Johnson
Set Apart: Stop Comparing, Own Your Giftedness, and Rest in Jesus - Denisse Copeland
Awaken - Priscilla C. Shirer
You are the Beloved - Henri Nouwen
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