One of the joys of serving in ministry is learning about the impact God is making in the lives of the people you are ministering to. Along with that, however, it can be difficult in seasons when you don’t really see or hear what God is doing. You just keep plugging away at sharing God’s word, meeting the needs of others, and participating in routine programs and events, waiting for something big to happen. During these seasons, it can be easy to get discouraged and lose motivation as we serve others, but don’t ever get to see the end result. It’s in these seasons that we need to trust that God’s work is often more like a marathon, not a sprint. That our job is to plant seeds, not make them grow. At the same time, every now and then we have the incredible privilege of seeing some of what God is doing through our ministry, and that is such a fulfilling experience that I really can’t put into words properly!
Recently, during one of my small groups with the high school boys, we were going over highlights of the past week to check-in on how we were doing. And during this conversation, one of the students told me that his highlight of the week was “Impact” (our club for high schoolers). Following this encouraging comment, the rest of the guys chimed-in on how much they enjoyed coming to club each week to learn about God while hanging out with their friends!
I couldn’t help but smile from ear-to-ear while they were having this conversation as it reminded me that God truly does the heavy-lifting in ministry.
All we have to do is trust Him with that and remain obedient as we serve those around us. In Galatians 6:9, Paul writes “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Therefore, if anyone faithfully serving in ministry is reading this and has been discouraged by not witnessing the fruit of their works, know that God is working through you as you remain faithful to Him! It is only a matter of time before you are able to see the impact He is making.