I was considering getting involved in the youth ministry at my local church. I perceived God was stirring up the notion in my heart of serving, but I was in the middle of navigating major life transitions.
r Several “random” conversations later – and an email to my inbox inquiring about my involvement in this ministry I’d been dismissing – I closed out of my emails and exhaled my reservation to God, “I’m a hot mess, how can I help anybody?”
Scripture in Matthew 27 details the experiences of Christ when he was crucified. This is not the only Gospel to do so, but it does contain key details that Mark, Luke, and John don’t. Christ was ridiculed, humiliated, mocked, tortured, and eventually killed on the cross. What is so great about this passage is the sheer amount of miraculous occurrences that came from Christ’s final breath. The earth shook, the rocks split, the dead were raised once again to life, and the veil was torn.
Among the numerous gifts that came from experiencing God’s grace and presence in such an embodied way was learning the rhythms of self-acceptance and self-compassion. As a bona fide people pleaser, I had the tendency to frantically run around like a chicken with its head cut off to be there for others, to try to look perfect, to try to be perfect.
Summer is an interesting season, to say the least. For some, the workload slows down, the office gets quieter, school is out, carpool lanes shut down for the season, vacations begin, and all is well. On the other hand, some individuals and families want to maximize the ‘slower season’ by scheduling appointments to the doctor and DIY house projects. Their calendar quickly fills up with weddings, pool parties, trips, and other social events and activities.
Does what we do really matter? Can one person make a difference?
When we live intentionally, our choices impact every aspect of our lives. With that purposeful perception comes the conviction that jobs, homes, lifestyles, and hobbies can and should be leveraged to their full potential and for a greater purpose than our own comfort.