National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA |
OK, be honest, how many of you have a letter of resignation hidden away in a drawer somewhere? I have been in the ministry long enough to know that almost every pastor out there (lead, senior, youth, kidmin or otherwise) has seriously wanted to quit at least once in their lifetime (for some it might be every Monday morning).
Every once in awhile I come across this file in my documents entitled, "Letter of Resignation." Hmmm, what's that I wondered the first time I saw it. So I opened it. It was a letter I had hurriedly typed to our governing board. It was only a rough draft, but there it was, typos and all. "Wow." I thought as I read it, "Did I really feel like that?" And so I decided to keep it, just to remind myself when I get down, that I have been down before, and kept on.
Maybe we should write letters of non-resignation when we are feeling solid in our ministries. That might be a better thing to look at the next time we want to throw in the towel.
It happened again last weekend, I just did not think I could keep on. Children's ministry can be a lonely place. You feel like everyone cares about the adult ministries, and that no one realizes you are pouring yourself out for kids. In our case, only a few kids. So maybe they sound like David's older brother at the battlefront who said to David, "Who is watching those FEW sheep you are supposed to be watching." I can almost hear them, "Get back there with those sheep and don't come out and bother us again!"
Well last weekend I shared with a fellow kidmin worker, and she gave me some great help. First she talked me off the ledge. Secondly, she shared a video link to a video called, Aim Lower. I wish I still had her letter, but I do have the video to share with you.
Aim Lower from Joan Eppehimer on Vimeo.
If our work were easy, we probably would not be making any inroads. Ministry invades the enemy's territory so of course it is going to be difficult, especially when you are engaging in battle for children. They have their whole lives ahead of them. If you can reach a child when they are young think of all the years they have ahead of them. The Bible gives plenty of illustrations of us fighting the good fight and soldiering as Christians. I just need to be reminded of it when I want to quit.
So when you are feeling like no one else truly cares about the children's ministry, when you feel like you have not accomplished anything, when you feel discouraged...take heart and press on and keep aiming lower...at the children.
My thanks to Kate over at Jesus Without Language for her words of encouragement and sharing this video.
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