Things don't work out like we plan...
I was just reflecting on some things that have been going on at the church, specifically with the youth ministry and I just about burned my calendar. It seems like every time I make plans or decide we are going to do something fundamentally different, it totally explodes. Although that seems negative, it doesn't have to be. For example, I planned a meditation sermon series for my youth (even for the Jr high) and thought it'll be great. I knew that it would be tough, but I thought if one or two of them get it and can actually learn to listen to God, that would be so worth the other two kids being bored out of their minds. So when the part of my sermon came that I gave them total silence to listen to God, and I was in full force police cruiser mode, ready to tap people on the shoulder if they started giggling to ask for their registration. I was blown away to realize they were actually doing it. I didn't even plan on it working, I just thought God wanted me to have another lesson in humility. Then the craziest part was that I got a chance to listen to God too. What a treat. Our meditation time EXPLODED, in all the best ways.
But my thought is, why do I even plan when I never really have a clue what God is going to do. When I plan for the worst the best happens, and when I think I've finally got a grasp on what the big G has for us, he slaps me on the forehead and chuckles like I'm just the cutest little guy trying to wear big-boy pants.
When I was first starting out as a camp counselor (for Summer Games) the founder of the camp, Stan Wierson had that same kind of agenda. There were times when he came in unannounced and would take over an evening service and all the planning and effort we put in was just wasted, but great things would happen. One time we prepared a skit and a song to preform and he walked up and took the mic and said "We're going to sing Christmas carols!" and we did. Then there are other times when he was supposed to give the sermon some night and he just never showed up. We'd just look at each other until finally someone would wing it in his absence. We always saw it as pretty inconvenient, but does God do that same thing. Is he teaching us to not take ourselves too seriously? Or is the moral, to plan but don't get your hopes up because if your plan is bad, God is going to change it?
I think ultimately I'm just going to keep stressing out because ministry is stressful. And God has the right to change things as much as He wants, but I still have to be responsible with the time I have with these kids. And I'm not going to just show up with no plans and demand or try to force God to do something...I'll just let him show up and do His thing whenever He's ready to. I'm OK with never having control.
PEACE
Doug
posted by Doug at
4:23 PM
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