Face to the Ground

I came into the field of ministry knowing exactly what it is that I was doing. I knew how to plan Bible studies, retreats, and lead a service. I knew exactly what to say and when to say it. I knew all the practices of ministry that I needed to know. I have done this for a while now and I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew all the "practical" things and how to deal with situations according to what the books say. Unfortunately, ministry doesn't play by the "books." In fact, ministry, is unpredictable and you will aways be learning when you are doing ministry.

I knew that things would be straining. I knew that I would be thrown into unpredictable situations. I knew that my heart would hurt for those around me and that I would be thrown on the ground. I knew that I would be literally on the ground asking God to save me. I knew all of these things. However, even through all of that, I had a big head. I was not humbly going into ministry. I was going into it with the attitude of "this is where God wants me," but I was being a super human about it.

With all of this being said, this is what I am thinking...

We come out of college with all this experience and rockin' resumes and are ready to conquer the world. We are prepared to go out and literally take over. For some of us, it creates this feeling of uncertainty and we are afraid that we aren't good enough. For others, like me, it creates this feeling of being superman and being able to take on everything that comes our way. We fall into this trap of thinking that we are going at this alone and that we can handle it by ourselves. We try to go above and beyond without the support alongside of us and we do not seek out those who will challenge us in that. However, we need to fall on our faces, we need to burn out, and we need to realize that we need those beside us. We need to feel that we are completely alone and on our own in order to realize that we need a community around us. We need to realize that it is not a weakness to call on people, but instead it is a strength. It is not a weakness to admit our faults, but it is a sign of maturity. We need to be willing to be vulnerable and to be in a constant learning posture. Most of all, we have to be willing to fall on our faces, get back up, and learn from our fall.

This is a rough transition. We are prepared to go out and change the world, but it is so hard sometimes. We are hit left and right by life's hardships and we feel like we should be able to handle it. However, the feeling is only a feeling and we get knocked down time and time again. This phase of life can be a beautiful one, we just need to have faith, be willing to fall down, and ask for help. We cannot do this alone and with help, we will accomplish great things. So to all of us out there in this phase: here's to hardships and failures, but let us find light in those times.