Dearest reader,
I'd love to share something that the Lord has placed on my heart recently. Overseas ministry can sometimes feel...slow. The first month I joined the team, we toured to several different countries, performing and doing ministry almost every day. It was a rich time filled with the movement of the Holy Spirit, and we saw many people make professions of faith and express interest in learning more about Jesus. The past two months, my team has returned to our main city and settled in for the winter. I am learning language and building relationships, but compared to our tour, it has felt slow. I have struggled with feeling that I am doing nothing for God's kingdom. Some days, I feel that because I am not sharing the Gospel with people as frequently as on tour, I am disappointing God. I desperately want to just go out and share the Gospel with people on the streets, but few people here speak sufficient English. Other times, I keep my mouth shut because I am just plain scared.
When I shared these feelings with a trusted mentor, she gave me an analogy that really encouraged me: she compared my ministry to the work of a farmer. When we think of farming, we typically think of planting seeds and harvesting them. In reality, there is a lot of work that goes on BEFORE the farmer even gets to planting. He has to have the seed, he has to prepare his tools, and he has to till or prepare the soil. None of those steps look like planting, and the farmer may not feel like he is doing much, but all those steps are necessary to get to the planting stage. In my ministry right now, I may not be in the "planting seeds" stage; I may not be sharing the Gospel frequently. However, by learning the language, I am sharpening and preparing my tools. By building relationships with non-Christians Turks and other foreigners, I am preparing the soil of their hearts to be ready to receive the seed. The work that I am doing now is just as glorifying to God as sharing the Gospel on tour, but it is just less glamorous and requires more patience. This should not be an excuse I use to avoid sharing the Gospel, but it has encouraged me in this season of waiting.
My mentor reminded me of 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (ESV). Whatever we are doing in life, we should do it for the glory of God. If we do, then God is glorified through it, whether it is sharing the Gospel or doing our housework. God has called us to use every aspect of our lives to build his kingdom and glorify His name.
So dear reader, be encouraged. Even if the work you are doing at this particular moment does not seem like it is building the kingdom of God, take heart. The Lord is just as glorified in your season of preparation as He is in your seasons of planting and harvesting.