It's Not About Me

Last week I got the opportunity to set up my new office as the Director of Youth Ministry at Valleyview Alliance Church. I am so excited about doing full time ministry and seeing if all my school debt was worth it. (I know it will be) When I graduated in May I truly expected to have a job all lined up and ready to go, but to my surprise that was not the case. But finally now I am in a place where I know God wants me to be.

After I finished placing the final piece of furniture in my office just how I wanted it, I took a second to soak in the moment of starting ministry. That night when I went to bed I could not fall asleep due to the excitement of everything new that now surrounds me. I had thoughts of how and could make the ministry better, I imagined all the cool youth retreats and events, and all the new people that I would get to meet.

When I came into my office the next morning I started off with prayer, and God very quickly gave me this message. “This is not your church or your youth group, for they are both mine. I have placed you here to serve in my ministry.” But when I heard that I kind of brushed it off and continued in my new found enthusiasm. Later that day I received an e-mail from my Dad and in it he placed one of his famous one liners that are used for advice. Usually it’s “don’t do anything stupid”, but today was different. In the last line of the message before he signed his name he wrote “Remember It’s Not About You.”

I thought about that for a second then remembered what God told me in my devotions earlier that morning, and then realized what they were both trying to tell me. It’s not about me or what I want or think that I have plans for. It’s about listening to God to hear what he wants and to follow his plans. It’s about putting down my selfish desires and simply doing ministry the way God needs it done. A lot of what we do is all about impacting our own world and forget about what really matters, impacting the Kingdom of God.