For years I was active in teaching children's Sunday School and even started a Children's Church program at my former church home. I have always loved children, and when I was younger, I considered becoming a teacher. I am more comfortable with children than my peers, and I think I sometimes use that to hide. 6 years ago, we joined a new church, and for a while I just attended adult class and worship. I felt it was time to take a break and it was restful. After a time,the Lord began convicting me of my need to be more active. I offered to help with Children's Church and though it was very rewarding, it became a burden, as I spent the Sunday School hour setting up, and the worship service teaching. I don't believe working for our Lord should feel that way, so I resigned and once again attended adult classes and worship, taking a break. The Lord began to work in my heart again, and I was moved to begin teaching 3rd Grade Sunday School class. For the last two years I have loved being with the children and leading them to a deeper understanding of God's Love and what He expects of His children. I also volunteered to teach Preschool Choir and even joined the adult choir. All three of those jobs at once was too hard and I gave up Children's Choir, then adult choir. Now, I am again convicted by the need to be in a place where I am being "discipled" instead of repeating children's Bible stories week after week. I've prayed and asked for direction, and feel it is time for me to join the adults once again.
It's mysterious to me, how the Lord moves you from place to place teaching you along the way. Every situation, every experience, teaches you something He wants you to know. I don't feel that I am supposed to be completely still, but am involved with a missions team that is encouraging/leading our church to embrace the Acts 1:8 Challenge. This is a task that is ongoing, but I am not confined to meetings Sunday after Sunday. I also will be trying to maintain our church website, when we can get it up and running correctly. (We have been offline for a while due to circumstances beyond our control) I will now focus on my own spiritual growth and see where the Lord takes me from here. By reading this, you may think I'm easily bored. There may be some truth to that, but I still believe God uses even that to further His kingdom. After all, He can do anything. Can't He!?
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I understand how you feel. Playing the keyboard Sunday after Sunday, practicing every other Sunday afternoon for at least two hours, and missing Sunday School for practice was really a burden on me. Don't get me wrong...I enjoyed playing. However, when I play, I have a hard time worshiping. You always hear, "This is for our Lord. This is how I worship." That's not how I worship. I concentrated more on how I played because I'm not perfect and sometimes the music director would surprise us with a new song just that morning. I enjoy being in the congregation now. I feel more like I'm worshiping while I'm singing rather than playing. I can concentrate on the words and focus on the Holy Spirit.
That said, I also feel like I need to be some sort of leadership position. Me, you ask? Yes, me. I don't know why, but our older teenagers and young adults need guidance. Even our thirty-somethings. This is a new generation of people who feel like they don't have a "place" in church or that they are misunderstood and I think to a degree they are. Am I suppose to start this? I don't know...but I know that MK and I sometimes feel out of place in the married folks classes but we're no longer single. So, what to do? Guess it needs prayer.
Sorry I wrote a book...
I think we each worship in our own way. Some can worship while playing or singing, some can't. Some can honestly worship sitting in a boat on a sunny afternoon. Some need complete quiet to focus. Some feel the Hand of God moving in the morning worship service, while others are moved by seeing a child's eyes light up with understanding. God created us all as individuals. That certainly means we all worship in different ways. The point is to just worship.
As a new member of FBC Sheridan this past 10 months I have really enjoyed being in the backseat on everything. Its the first time in 13 years that I have sat in the congregation to sing and worship. At my former church home I was overly involved because I was one of the pianist plus I taught childrens choir on Wed night, mission friends pre-k on Sun. night, Praise team choir, nursery director, GROW team prayer group, VBS director (and that one is a year round affair at Des Arc) and whatever else came up.
I was too involved with what I was doing at church and it completely burned me out by the time I decided to move and join our church now.
I think I was so involved there because I was young, single, and needed to fill some sort of void in my life. Now I am not sure where we belong as young married couple. All the young couple classes are too parenting oriented which we aren't at that stage right now and getting involved in other places seems like your taking over for someone that doens't really want you to take over...it just doesn't feel right..right now but maybe God's not ready for us to be that heavily involved. Praying about all of it! =)
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