Balance in Personal Responsibility

To be completely real, this topic is hard for me to even begin to unpack because it’s a genuine struggle for me to find balance. While it is a daily fight for me to find balance, it’s also something I have found a lot of freedom in from advice given to me by others, but more importantly by the Lord. All it took was me finally turning to face Him, and saying something along the lines of “help…I’m kind of a hot mess.”

Ambassadors. In a secular context, to be an ambassador is to have an incredibly high ranking position of diplomacy and representation for whatever overarching establishment you are a part of, whether it be a country, company, or another organization. Ambassadors are directly in contact with people outside of their establishment daily. To be chosen as an ambassador for Christ means that you are a direct representation of Him, that you are incredibly important, and that you have a daily role for Him.

While summer might be a season of break from structured ministry work for a lot of people, there’s never really a halt to ministry work in our lives. Rather than seeing this season as a break from your normal routine, which if you’re anything like me is overwhelming at times, see it as an opportunity to form a new routine that allows you to continue doing ministry “work” in your new daily life. If a season of rest is what you need, take it, but in it you may be able to do “work” by setting the example of resting. If ministry work has not stopped for you, or even if it has amped up, ask the Lord for His eyes to see your situation, the people you are around, and the work you are doing. Ask Him for help in finding a balance between serving and sharing Him with others while also finding time for you to just sit and chat with Him at His feet. If you’re working outside of ministry, ask for those things too, but also ask for opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus in whatever it is you are doing. If you still don’t know what exactly the Lord has in store for your summer, it’s okay to not know. Your patience and devotion to trusting God’s plan for you is ministry work. It’s an example for others on what faithful waiting looks like and really good heart work for you.

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing counts. You don’t have to have a labeled ministry role to serve in the kingdom. This could be a time for you to take the reins and experiment on what ministry looks like for you in your daily life. There’s room for you to mess up and have off days. There’s room for you to take a break or run full steam ahead. View this season of less structure, if that applies to you, as freedom to create something with your unique time.

Proverbs is full of direction and advice on how to live daily life faithfully, regardless of what kind of season you are in or what you are doing. Proverbs 16 focuses a lot on plans and how our plans work alongside the Lord’s. Verse 3 says “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.” It goes on in verse 9 to say “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” This entire passage, but especially these verses, are an open invitation to let go of control we don’t even possess in the first place. It allows us to take risks, to pursue those bigger dreams, and to live life a little differently than the rest of the world. Whatever you do, if you do it for the purpose of serving the Lord, He will use it for His bigger plan, and He will speak to others through you and your actions.

Author | Rachel Henderson