posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
This is a post that I don't remember writing and I don't remember the event it records, so it's like reading someone else's writing. And it kind of slapped my face, if you know what I mean. It's dated April 19, 1994 (my older son's sixth birthday, incidentally):
Sunday night, [I had a three-minute] notice on giving a testimony of "What a Christian Family Means to Me."...if I'd've had more time, I could've come up with a nice little well-rounded testimony: with three minutes prep, what I said was what was on my heart.
-- That it's not right for the church to be in conflict with the family.
-- That the primary place where children are to learn about God is in the home.
-- That service to God is whatever he's called you to do, not just what you do at church.
-- That church is for fellowship, worship and service to each other: our everyday life lived before the world is where God is served.
-- That time must be given to those who serve God away from the church.
-- That serving God in my family must take precedence over serving God in my church (but should not be confused with using my family as an excuse not to serve Him [at all] at church)
[Our Pastor] said he disagreed with about 90% of what I said, although I'm not sure he was serious [he could have been teasing...we were well enough acquainted that I didn't take it personally, anyway]. Several ladies were vigorously agreeing with me, both during [my little talk] and after, so I guess I'm not that far out in left field!
That really rattled my chain because I have literally been at church all day, for almost every day in the past week and a half, sewing costumes, working on the girls' ministry, doing some administrative volunteer work. The 'service to my family' has been laughable. I realize that this intensity is just for a season, and will be over shortly, but...I need to remember what my first and primary calling is.
Ouch.
What do you mean by the statement that time should be given to those who serve God away from the church?
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of what you have written but I think that in regards to the first one that most of the time the family is in conflict with the church. Does that make sense?
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI read Lisa's statement to mean that not all service to God happens within the church (building) walls. Service to God happens when we serve "the least of these". (Check these books of the Gospels, Matthew 25 and Luke 9 for a quick reference). We are to serve all people, not just those who darken the doorway of a building. Some folks are serving God outside of a building almost or completely exclusively. They are "walking the walk" in a way that is uncomfortable for a lot of us, mixing with and serving persons we might be leary of and make sure we avoid coming in contact with in our daily lives. It is important that we help feed these servers' spiritual needs too, for the results of their work is often unseen by them. It can be discouraging because their work is often far reaching and sometimes is only a smoldering spark that takes years to ignite.
Just my thoughts. Hope they help.
Well, as I said, I don't remember writing the post or even the event that prompted it, but as best as I can put it together, what I meant is that there is a tendency for us to separate our secular and spiritual lives; as in, what is done at church is spiritual life... what's done elsewhere is just life (not that I feel that way, but I have noticed that attitude). As in, if you're not working in a church setting, you're not really serving God. Miriam has a good point that there are lots of ministries that deal with folks that aren't necessarily helped by a specific church, and that's true; people need to have time available to do those ministries, but I think I was trying to make the point that we serve God by serving our families as well. Which is difficult to do if church commitments take up all sorts of time... there must be time allowed for people to tend to the ministry at home.
ReplyDeleteThere is a balance there; we can get so wrapped up in family-related commitments that our time spent working at/receiving ministry from church suffers, and that's not good either.
Maybe it's the difference between serving the church -- the Body of Christ, which is without walls and wherever one finds oneself -- and serving the church -- the local organization?
The real reason I posted that Flashback is because it was a much-needed reminder to me to remember that I need to reserve some time to serve my family, which is also service to God. ;)