What a high calling…to develop and equip leaders and the work of discipleship!
But how frustrating it can be when people just don’t get it!!! Sounds familiar? I wonder how Jesus felt with his disciples throughout His journey with them? Disciples fighting for a “great seat in heaven” while Jesus is preparing to give his life and the host of other examples.
Then I hear the excuse, “But I can’t…!” (Some call it weakness or not being called or I’m tired or that’s not my gift or …) It’s more like, “But I don’t want to …submit to the hardship…!”
I think we decrease God’s worth in us when we say “we can’t!” The Holy Spirit’s work in me is Powerful – but I minimize and shrink His worth down, when I beat myself up with excuses and a sense of unworthiness.
We need to stop beating ourselves up – the devil does enough of that! God is worthy in us – and “YES WE CAN!!”
So…Decrease me Lord, so You may increase in and through me!
As a newbie volunteer ministry leader, my experience is limited but I have found that those words, “But, I can’t…’ can mean much more than those very first words and sentences of an uncomfortable conversation.
I was recently reminded, that my position is two-fold: first, to be a shepherd and second, to be the leader. So, as the shepherd, I need to stop everything else (leader tasks) and answer that ‘call of help’ remembering that I was the one that encourage them to take that ’step of faith’, ‘get out of the boat’.
If I have truly ‘invested’ my time to building, to developing this relationship, I will, rather I should, know that there is something underlining. And as as their shepherd, their mentor it is up to me, to find out if indeed, it is ‘weakness’, ‘not being called’, ‘tiredness’ or ‘difficulty to submitting to the hardship’..
If I have encouraged, mentored someone to ’step up into a leading position’.. then it is MY RESPONSIBILITY to get to the ‘heart’ of the matter ~~ by encouraging, lifting them up so that they stop beating themselves up & to turn the “I can’t” into “I will,, I want… I can”
Isn’t this what we as shepherd leaders (at all levels… from Senior Pastors, to Volunteer Ministry Leaders)… should be doing?? Even if means putting a everthing else on ’simmer’ while we ‘tend to the boiling pot’ that we put on the stove.
As I said, I am ‘brand new’ and have learned this lesson the hard way, losing valuable servants and relationships.