Ministry is hard.
This week, and especially a period of like three days, were hard. They were physically, emotionally, and spiritually hard. I was wrestling with a few different things and trying to find peace among the stress and frustration. My body was weak and tired from a stomach bug that lasted three days (I will spare you the detail, but let’s just say I was living on a BRAT diet). There were some ministry things that were going on that had me frustrated and confused. And to top it off, I was staying at a place that wasn’t my current living situation and a little less than ideal.
In the midst of all of this tiredness, frustration, sometimes anger, God showed up and spoke to me in ways that only he could. My women’s empowerment group program meeting for this week was amazing and filled with so much pride and joy from the women. I received a generous $1,500 one-time donation from a church's VBS. I also added a new monthly partner in the same day. One of the most touching and God-spoken things that happened though was an email I received from one of my supporters. She responded to my newsletter and told me that she was praying for me and more than that, she started listing the exact things I needed prayer for and that I needed to hear. God was speaking to me through her and I am so grateful that she had the courage and heart to listen to the Spirit and tell me about it.
So yes, ministry is hard. But God is good even in the hard things. I ended this rough past couple of days singing and praising God through worship, and then going on a prayer car ride through our community with one of our interns. It felt like something that was so needed and so very important.
God is good and deserves our praise even when things are hard.
My heart's been caught in the reeds
I've been living waist deep my whole life
But Your word, it has split seas
It sets captives free
And I wanna live in that light
I wanna live in Your light
Caught in the reeds (moses) by Chris Renzema