Activation

After worship night, on a recent Friday night, it hit me that this was the last hoorah of training camp, and now it was time to go do ministry. I was not short of preparedness. The previous weeks were filled with teaching upon teaching, worship, prayer, community, team building, pursuing Jesus, learning the Father’s heart and the way of the Holy Spirit, and practicing evangelism. So why, when being told that I completed training camp and it was time to go out, was I overwhelmed and doubtful? 

Investigation

Upon further internal investigation, there have been several thoughts. Firstly, being scared to do something new is totally normal. As the Lord calls us to do things, it will not always be in our comfort zone. This is where we have the most opportunity to grow and learn. I was overwhelmed because this is a new adventure. Secondly, training camp started to become a comfort zone. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the routine that became normal is not the purpose that I came on the World Race. Naturally, the next step should be to go out to serve people and spread the gospel! Lastly, I was doubtful of my own abilities. This ties in with the first thought in that, although uncomfortable, it is a good place to be. Living a life after Christ is impossible on my own. This is a space for me fully to rely on Christ. In reflecting on this, the Lord has brought me over and over again to the idea that if I choose Him, I am allowing Him full room and control of my life. The Holy Spirit is in me, and I have the power to follow as He leads. Furthermore, it is good to rely on the body of Christ. This community is all in it together, each bringing unique gifting and skill sets. We are called to contribute what the Lord has given us. As each individual gives, the body of Christ is taken care of. 

Application

To step in to the activation, the girls of squads j and k traveled to and served in Black Mountain North Carolina. The first week of ministry I realized that I had nothing to be overwhelmed by. I have seen all of these thoughts play out. I am so grateful for my team in that they are family. They are the people who are alongside me in it all, and they are empathetic towards the struggle of battling mindsets. This week, as we were serving the workers at a conference center, doing ministry was difficult in the way that I was getting bored and frustrated at the tedious work of making beds, vacuuming, and polishing silverware time and again. Pretty quickly I learned that if I was going to have fun this week and enjoy life, my thought process was going to need to change. It is amazing what a perspective change will do. After sitting down with the Lord and realizing the He is the one who asked me to be here, and I am the one who accepted His calling, every bit of work should be for His glory. It should not matter what kind of work it is either. What a joy it is to praise God by working hard even in the most mundane and unappreciated work, and even so, it is a joy to be able to bless the workers by getting work done that they otherwise would have had to stay late to finish. In keeping with the Lord's perspective, our service matters. Jesus uses our hard work, and He blesses us in that we can always confide in Him. 

Colossians 3:23

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,"

Psalm 62:1-2

"Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."