In my (almost 40) years of being involved in children’s youth and family ministry, this is probably the most important thing I have discovered.
The best thing we can offer those we minister to is a healthy us.
Life in all its fullness is found in Christ. Jesus himself states it is why he has come,
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full
John 10:10
If we are called to make disciples, what is the model of our own lives? How do we draw others to Christ; point to Christ; live for Christ ourselves, hold on to the Word of Life; hold out the Word of life to others; give everything to Him . . . somehow, we must find the balance between what we USE to DO ministry (money, resources, an organisation we work for, contacts, programmes, curriculum, team) and WHO we choose to BE in ministry.
With all that we have at our disposal, we can do wonderful things or mess it up (regardless of how much of the things above we have available to us!) – our attitude, values, priorities, our character, our vision, our passion and our love for Jesus . . . none of those things can be purchased from a bookstore, Christian Resource Exhibition or Youth Ministry conference.
No programme or curriculum can give you life in all its fulness, no team or inspirational earthly leader can compete with what you already have - in Christ. You – who you are, not what you do – is the most important aspect of your ministry to and with others.
You must nurture, encourage, look after and value yourself. A healthy you is about where your life is, as the author of Colossians says,
For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God
Colossians 3:3
That is one of the most liberating, staggering, take your breath away phrases in scripture. Your life. Hidden.
The word used here is about being covered, and in this form of the Greek it is also about “place” where are we? We are covered, covered by Christ – we are with Him. That place, that awesome position as Ephesians says, seated with Him (see Ephesians 2:6).
Our place with Christ leads to what we do - it need to come first.
We cannot work ourselves in to this place by delivering amazing youth work or children’s work, spending all our hours serving others, being seen to be at everything the church is doing . . . . We cannot earn a better place with God than we already have. We are in Christ!
So, do we have a healthy view of ourselves? Are we in a healthy place? If our identity and our sense of self is now hidden with Christ, we are seated with Him, we delight in His presence - isn’t that ultimately what we long to see our young people grasp?
Children and young people follow footprints, better than blueprints. They follow those who are walking after Christ, who simply know they are loved, live in that place of love and share their lives out of the love that they have received.
This is who we are – not what we do.
If we get this right, if we can re-discover our place – in Christ, in Him, Covered . . . wholly His – then wow, everything else will flow from this, the source of life living in us and through us - enabling us to be a resource to others. You might be the only “Jesus” some young people, children, families see . . . you matter.
You are completely loved. You are completely free. You are completely whole.
When we share from the life we have received from Christ - when we fully live in that place of security and safety - we can live and share and speak meaningfully in to the lives of the young people we work with.
You can’t buy this, you can’t create a programme that will contain it.
Fully embrace the life you have in Christ and it will transform your ministry.