We are fast approaching the time of year when women can become so overwhelmed with all that is on their plates that they start to sink faster than the Titanic on that fateful night! I had recently been contemplating Thanksgiving and Christmas and was pleasantly surprised that I did not feel my anxiety levels rise as I observed that my plate was not too loaded down. Yeah me! And then it happened...
We had a women's ministry meeting!
Breathe in! Breathe out! Breathe in! Breathe out!
I had forgotten that this was my first year as a wife at the helm in a church environment where there is no lack of opportunities and needs during the holiday season!! The list was endless and I felt my pulse start to quicken and my eyes glaze over as I processed all that was being shared! The worst part was that it was all good. Not one thing was something I could roll my eyes at and dismiss as unnecessary fluff! What to do? What to do?
First thing to do was to realize that one or two or three people cannot do it all! It takes a whole body of believers working together to make it all happen. Letting the hands be the hands and the feet be the feet and every little part of the body operate in its entirety is essential. We need each other!
A number of years ago I quit sending Christmas cards. It wasn't that I think there is anything wrong with Christmas cards, it was just that particular year I realized I could either send Christmas cards or I could enjoy Christmas...and I chose the latter! Fortunately for me, the advance of technology and the invention of FB has kept me in touch with most of the people who would have gotten my Christmas cards anyway. I still enjoy receiving all the cards each year, but I treasure the feeling of not succumbing to the pressure to meet a deadline in the midst of an already busy time!
Now back to the church....I again had a choice. I could look at all that needed to be done and feel the pressure to cram as much as I could into my days or I could calmly ponder the possibilities and focus in on what I was passionate about! What could I, based on the giftings and passions the Lord has placed within me, contribute to this list? Suddenly I found my eyes begin to refocus and my pulse begin to regain its natural rhythm and it all became very clear to me.
There is a group of widows who live in an apartment complex by the church. Many of them have serious needs, but we don't really even know who they are or how truly extensive their needs might be. How fun would it be to plan a tea and invite them all to come and be spoiled for a morning? Allow them to use fine china and taste sweet desserts fixed lovingly with my own hands. Let them eat off of fancy tablecloths and use cloth napkins to wipe their mouths. I am sure for many, if not all of them, this would be a highly unusual occurrence. How disarming would it be, though, for them to realize someone cared enough to treat them like high society ladies? How credible would it make us to pamper them and then tell them we really do care and want to help? How helpful to build a relationship with them to assess what their true needs are during the holidays and all year long?
How relieved did I feel to see with clarity where my gifts and passions could best be utilized? He has wired me to be hospitable and here was an opportunity for me to exercise my spiritual gift!!
Instead of shutting down, I felt myself coming to life. Before I left the church there were already 5 of us committed to going and loving on these ladies. I found myself mentally planning a menu and decorating the tables as I happily drove out of the parking lot!
Reality is, there are still many areas on the list that was presented that need to be covered and I am asking the Lord to impress upon hearts just where exactly they fit in His plan! If we all begin to step out and operate within our giftedness as He gives us opportunity, we eliminate the need for a few people to bear the burden of carrying out all that needs to be done and becoming overwhelmed.
Are you a hand? A foot? Are you a planner? Hospitable? Do you love all that goes with an administrative position or do you come alive as your creative juices start to flow? You have a role...you were created with a definite purpose! Will you ask the Lord to show you what it is and then jump in knowing that He has prepared you for such a time as this?
Read with me these words from the Casting Crowns song, We Are the Body, and ask yourself just where exactly do you fit! The Body is counting on you!!
It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know
CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
There is a way
A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road
CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ
If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching
Why aren't His hands healing
Why aren't His words teaching
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going
Why is His love not showing them there is a way
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