iLLUMINATIONS: Thoughts on Ministry

Jackie Witter

It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants.  The question is: What are we busy about?  Henry David Thoreau

Ministers are busy people. 
Our calendars are full of places to go, people to see and programs to be involved in. 
Sometimes our busyness becomes a source of pride--
I worked 18 straight days last month and that was before Lent even began--
as if somehow that makes us a better or more worthy minister.
 
We need, however, to stop and ask, ‘what are we busy about?’ 
We need, like Jesus, to take time to wrestle with the temptations we face that could keep us
from being the ministers God has called us to be. 
We need, like Jesus, to stop and pray in the midst of proclaiming God’s Word
and doing the work God has called us to do. 

This is not a luxury.
It is not shirking our ministerial responsibility.
It is in fact, doing what is necessary so that we might fulfill our responsibility.

Time for prayer and reflection,
for immersion in the Word of God and study,
for re-calling the promises of Baptism and
re-membering who we are in Christ
is essential if we are really committed to
 serving well this God whom we claim to love.

What are you busy about?