Recovered In Christ

The #1 ministry that God has given me – is my son. It is the number one ministry that he gives to every mother. Everything else follows, motherhood may be closely linked to and a part of our church life, evangelism and outreach, but God in His infinite wisdom and wonderful grace has given mothers a very specific ministry, and it has been my obedience to His will in this that has taught me and trained me in what true ministry work really is.

This isn’t a blog post defending the much debased and ridiculed traditional roles of women, rather it is a springboard for what real discipleship looks like. There are hundreds of “believers” that I come in contact with every year that are hungry, seeking discipleship, mentorship, community. They “want what I have” and are impassioned to follow in my footsteps and in the footsteps of my close brethren who walk this walk with me. Invariably the majority fall away..looking for quick fixes..avoiding the painful work that is required to truly grow. They run from the very thing they have been searching for.

The problem, is that the very qualities and dynamics necessary for proper biblical discipleship and community are absent from most of what these people have been presented with for years, and so when they come in contact with real community, real accountability, REAL relationships, they buckle.

There is a reason why my 12 year old son has more emotional maturity, more spiritual stability than people 3 times his age, and demonstrates a startling discernment absent from most – it is not because “as my son” he reads the Bible 24/7, it isn’t because he stalks my every post cutting and pasting my wisdom to his wall, it isn’t because he attends spiritual retreats and compulsively downloads sermon podcasts. It is quite simply that he walks with the wise. He walks with us.

That is what real ministry is, it is a daily walk with Christ, a daily walk with those you claim to be taught by…daily…consistently…continuously walking…working…praying…reading….growing.

Through great times and scary transitions. Through thick and thin, everything that  I am is poured out for my son everyday, that was the beginning of my ministry. That is the only kind of ministry that disciples and grows real, mature Christians.

In our fast paced, disposable culture of throwing away friendships in a click of a Facebook button, of walking away from anyone who makes you feel uncomfortable, of hopping from teacher to teacher and church to church – these droves of “believers” are stuck in a delusion of what community, fellowship and Christ’s family actually is. They have drunk from the cup of spiritual pride that has seduced them into thinking they can recreate the body of Christ. Because they think that by blocking and deleting and hiding from people who challenge them, and by shunning churches that refuse to hand over the keys to a new convert, they are trailblazers…when in reality…you are foolish children.

My prayer for you is that you would set aside the burning rebellion and chokehold of pride that grips you – it seems impossible, but you can do it, and pray for genuine humility and a teachable heart.

“He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm” Proverbs 13:20