Making it Count...

I'm realizing that life is so much different than I expected. Certainly I would never have foreseen where my life journey would have taken me. At this point, with so much craziness going on in my life, it's been a time of evaluating what I value and what I desire my life to be. When I'm stressed, I don't work or do life harder, but smarter. I tend to think carefully about the things with which I'm involved, and weed out anything that isn't necessary. 

Because family demands so much of my time and energy, I have really been evaluating my ministry and the things that go in my job. In a job where my work is invested primarily in people, it's very hard to 'see' the fruit of my labor, especially since I work with college students. However, if I were to leave ministry right now, I would look back and savor the leaders and future leaders that God allowed me to influence. When I think about some of the guys I led on my first project that went on to invest their lives in full time ministry, or the 3 students that launched Destino at UCLA with me, that all went on to establish a movement that seems to be around for a while, I can definitely rest in my stewardship of being called to full time ministry. 

To see the 'few' raised up and sent out, I have seen how necessary it is to invest in the many. The many often times being people I'm not really sure even want to be apart of things, or those whom I'm not sure will ever make a significant impact for the Lord. 

I had a flashback recently to my job as a substitute teacher. Many days the amount of actual work I did was less than 10 minutes. Yet I was payed generously and nearly double what I make at this point--in a job that is eternally significant, and in light of what I believe, 'the main thing.'

I've noticed that often times I struggle in ministry because I incorrectly assume that everything I do needs to be dramatic and extremely significant. Now certainly I don't want to spend my time foolishly, but often times there are days when I don't do anything amazing, but I'm definitely faithful and wise with my time. 

I'm learning that 'making it count' can often being average and faithful. That as I remain attentive to the Lord and His Spirit, that He will lead me to lead the many in ways that the few will be raised up and sent out to impact the world for Christ.