There are so many good things to do. The opportunities to serve our good Lord are endless. And yet, He says, come to me- my yoke is easy.
He does not want us to feel the drudgery of service.
How do I know what I should say “yes” to in order to live a life of joyful service?
Backwards Planning for Your Life
In education, they call it backwards planning. When designing a lesson plan, the teacher considers where they want the students to be by the end of a lesson. Keeping the end in mind, the teacher writes down a goal or objective – what he is aiming for. Using that objective, the teacher then creates a specific plan on how to get the students to reach that objective.
And now, keeping that perspective in mind, how can we transfer that type of backwards planning to our life?
Step1: Identify your End Goal. Where do you want to end up at the end of your life? What do you want your eulogy to be? What do you want people to say about you when you are gone? Once you can identify that, then you are ready to start identifying a goal for each priority in your life.
Step 2: Identify your Priorities. A wise woman once told me that one handful of priorities is what most women can swing. In some stages of life, you may be able to handle more than a handful -possibly even two handfuls. But in this season of life, it was helpful for me to hold up my hand and identify a priority for each finger. For myself, it came to:
- God
- Husband and children: Kevin & Cameron, Hudson, Bennett, Winston
- Extended families: Martin family, Stoltzfus family, Agape family, sister-friends (you know- those friends who are really more like sisters than friends)
- My passion or calling: Educational realm of God’s Kingdom (I haven’t had many “bolt from the sky” moments in my life, but I can distinctly remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I felt God telling me to say “yes” to teaching -at that time it was saying “yes” to teaching first grade at Weavertown Mennonite school. I have found so much joy in being able to teach within a variety of realms of God’s Kingdom over the years, and I am just so very grateful to Him for allowing me to participate in His work.)
- Local community: Reading, PA (Before I married Kevin, I knew that he believed that God had called him specifically to the city of Reading for the time being. When I married him, I too committed myself to making this one of my life priorities.)
Step 3: Write Legacy Statements for each priority. What do you want people to have said about you in each of those priorities? Read it over on an annual basis. Consciously work towards it. Form your yearly or monthly goals with your eulogy legacies in mind.
Identify the Giftings, Callings, and Experiences that God Has Given You
You have giftings and talents that God has equipped you with so that you can play a specific role in His Kingdom. Social media and pinterest-perfect-homes and friends who throw amazing picture-perfect-parties can distort our views and before long we can think that since we aren’t “good” at that thing, we are lacking. Or we see a woman serving the church in a way that would overwhelm us, but inwardly we feel as if we should do that thing, too. Rather than playing the comparison game, let’s look at what God HAS equipped you with.
Who do you feel joy in relating to? What age group do you feel drawn to minister to? My husband and I are both teachers – we love teaching, and we can teach any age group. But He gets a deeper sense of joy and fulfillment in teaching teenagers and young adults. Me? Elementary students are my jam. I have a close friend who takes her preschooler and baby to visit the mentally handicapped at a local institution. It’s not “hard work” for her – she loves it. And I have another church sister who walks so well with other adults – especially adults in tough places. What about you?
What age group of people do you LOVE serving or interacting with? Maybe that is because God gave you a heart meant to reach out to that age group at this time in your life.
What giftings and past experiences has God given to you specifically?
My sister offered to teach the littles at her church choir songs in order to bless the congregation with an Easter program. She practices with all the 3-7 year olds several minutes before their typical Sunday school lesson begins. Someone else could probably have served in that way; but since she was a first and second grade teacher in prior years and had experience preparing students for programs, service in this way really came quite naturally for her.
A church sister of mine has discovered a love for cooking. She and her boyfriend (now husband) did date nights cooking together. Just saying, I don’t think Kevin and I would ever put that on a list of enjoyable date night activities.;) But due to life circumstances and her own enjoyment of the kitchen, she makes wonderfully nutritious and delicious meals. A church member was grieving the loss of a mother? She had multiple meals brought to her family by the afore-mentioned sister. Another sister was in the midst of a busy move to a new home; again, she delivered another meal. I was recovering from my miscarriage; and again, she brought the deepest, most delicious home-made chicken pot pie that I ever tasted.
Another church sister of mine volunteers within Arrows Christian Academy as the Spanish teacher. In earlier years, she had been a school teacher. And then in Mexico, she church-planted alongside her husband for many years. Now, she is drawing from the life experiences that God gave her in earlier years to serve in the specific capacity of teaching Spanish to students right now.
Each of these ladies found joy in working in those differing capacities of the Lord’s Kingdom. I’m sure, at times, it also felt like work; but overall, they experienced joy and fulfillment.
If you are reading this post, I have not doubt that you have at least some years of variying experiences under your belt. What has God already done within those years in your life to equip you for where He might want you to serve within His Kingdom right now?
Maybe you had bookkeeping/secretary experience, medical experience, experience in providing personal care, cross-cultural experience – how can you use the ways God has already equipped you to serve Him now?
Maybe you have found joy in gardening, canoeing, homesteading – how can you use those hobbies and passions to bring joy to the greater Kingdom of God outside of simply your own personal enjoyment of the pursuit?
When you are serving the Lord out of joy , it will not be a drudgery.
What may look hard and overwhelming for another, will cultivate joy and fulfillment in you.
The yoke is easy.
But we also know that there are times when Kingdom Work is not simply a hobby. It is work. I mean it is probably called Kingdom WORK for some reason, right? What about the people groups that aren’t our very favorite to serve? What about the unmet needs that nobody seems to meet? What about when we face burnout from a passion we once had? those are questions for next week