Some people don’t seem to know how to begin. It’s like they’re waiting for a sign or a signal to thrust them onto the ‘stage’. If you don’t know how or where to begin, then look at what’s at your hand. Then… do that. If you don’t feel that (fill in the blank) is the call on your life, your passion then 2 scriptures you may want to remember are: 1- don’t despise small beginnings and 2- as you are faithful in the little things God will raise you up.
One scripture that seemed to be repeated to me as I was a new Christian was that my gift will make a way for me (Proverbs 18:16). Do you have any idea just how frustrating that is? This was the last thing I wanted to hear. I was a new Christian, who had been brought up in church just not relationship, and I knew I knew some things so … what’s the delay? Delay, for me, was that I had no conception of what I was to do and no one else had a clue either. Which is why the scripture was repeated.
Through no great intelligence on my part, I did look around me to see how I could become involved. I’m a fixer, a ‘do something’ type… at least I once was, so what was happening around me that I could do until…? For me, thanks to the Lord’s grace, I tend to become ‘totally’ involved in… whatever I’m doing. I rarely give only 50% waiting till I can be thrust into (fill in the blank). I still am a ‘doer’ type but now I have a better foundation for understanding who I am and what is my responsibility in my world.
I believe that what we in the church need to do is to assist, help, encourage new believers in expressing what has occurred for them and what is their best – them. Too often the new believer is left on their own or the extreme opposite, thrust into a leadership ministry. Both can cause burn out, neither is especially helpful. Finding out how to start or actually starting will still require an understanding that growing never ends and that this also need to be in evidence.
Starting may still cause skinned knees but this is part of the process. The church’s responsibility, in my estimation, is to encourage, support, and aid every member to become the effective ambassador in their world that they can become, fulfilling what Paul said in 1Corinthians 12:12-25. We all have a gift, a calling, a ministry for the benefit of all. None is more important than the other, together we all comprise the body.
