One of my favorite quotes of all time was penned by a Persian poet somewhere around six centuries ago. It goes like this: Even after all this time The sun never says to the earth, "You owe Me." Look what happens with A love like that, It lights the Whole Sky. (The Gift: Poems by Hafez the Great Sufi Master)
I've been really working hard these last few months. The end of the school year was coming in full force and really it's the starting and the stopping of school that is so hard. The rest of the year is much easier. Vacation Bible School is scheduled for the end of July and we have been working hard on several fundraisers to alleviate a budget affected by an ever changing economy. I'm also trying to accommodate my volunteers, making sure they are able to rest and take well-deserved vacations during the Summer. And, of course, my regularly scheduled programming requires my daily presence.
I, along with some wonderful ministry partners, are working hard to make sure that our children, His children, get the very best. We need them to see God for who He really is. So, we roll up our sleeves and pitch in to make sure that our kids see more about God than a made up image on a coloring sheet. And it's hard work. Really hard work.
We aren't always thanked for shaping and molding young hearts and minds. I don't always feel appreciated or even respected. Sometimes, I have to deal with budgets that won't balance, upset parents, teachers who call in, unruly kids, or misinformed church members. Sometimes I'm so exhausted that I'm asleep before my head even hits my pillow. Other times, I lay awake for hours upon hours worrying about something that occurred earlier that day or making plans for the next.
And I'm reminded of our friend, Hafez. Look what happens with a love like the sun has for the moon. A love that would do anything, give anything, be anything that the object of its affection needs or desires. A love that never felt like it was owed something in return for all of its great sacrifice. A love that knows it is a verb and strives to show itself in its fullness day after day with no expectation of gratitude in return.
So, today, I make this my goal. To do ministry in the same way the sun radiates and lights up the moon. Nothing halfway. Complete sacrifice, no need for repayment of any kind.
I was loved in this same way on a very dark Friday some 2000 years ago. My Savior payed the ultimate sacrifice on a Roman cross as my substitue and He has never once called me for a payment.
And that kind of love, buddy, it lights up the whole sky.
I've been really working hard these last few months. The end of the school year was coming in full force and really it's the starting and the stopping of school that is so hard. The rest of the year is much easier. Vacation Bible School is scheduled for the end of July and we have been working hard on several fundraisers to alleviate a budget affected by an ever changing economy. I'm also trying to accommodate my volunteers, making sure they are able to rest and take well-deserved vacations during the Summer. And, of course, my regularly scheduled programming requires my daily presence.
I, along with some wonderful ministry partners, are working hard to make sure that our children, His children, get the very best. We need them to see God for who He really is. So, we roll up our sleeves and pitch in to make sure that our kids see more about God than a made up image on a coloring sheet. And it's hard work. Really hard work.
We aren't always thanked for shaping and molding young hearts and minds. I don't always feel appreciated or even respected. Sometimes, I have to deal with budgets that won't balance, upset parents, teachers who call in, unruly kids, or misinformed church members. Sometimes I'm so exhausted that I'm asleep before my head even hits my pillow. Other times, I lay awake for hours upon hours worrying about something that occurred earlier that day or making plans for the next.
And I'm reminded of our friend, Hafez. Look what happens with a love like the sun has for the moon. A love that would do anything, give anything, be anything that the object of its affection needs or desires. A love that never felt like it was owed something in return for all of its great sacrifice. A love that knows it is a verb and strives to show itself in its fullness day after day with no expectation of gratitude in return.
So, today, I make this my goal. To do ministry in the same way the sun radiates and lights up the moon. Nothing halfway. Complete sacrifice, no need for repayment of any kind.
I was loved in this same way on a very dark Friday some 2000 years ago. My Savior payed the ultimate sacrifice on a Roman cross as my substitue and He has never once called me for a payment.
And that kind of love, buddy, it lights up the whole sky.
1 comment:
What a wonderful testimony and there is no better way to serve our Lord than through the little children who He loves so much. It is so hard sometimes to keep you eye on the prize when outside forces attack. May God bless your ministry and keep you strong in His word.
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