I was talking with a good friend (and a huge part of my personal support network) today and we began talking about future church plans. We talked about how changes in the lives of so many in our congregation (new children, new homes, etc) will drive us to innovate and figure out creative ways to still meet the needs of all in our church family. Amidst all the challenges, I found myself going back to an often-repeated phrase: at some point, faith has to be a part of things.
I like order. I'm an engineer by education and I have done decent at my day-job through execution plans and knowing how to adapt those plans to change. When I first began my journey in ministry, I tried running church programs the same way. I actually approached my first stint as a youth minister with a 5 page Word document outlining a ministry plan, 1-3-5 year goals, and criteria for measuring success. It was everything you love to hate about an engineer. For a time, the plan went great and I felt completely in control. After a while, the attitudes and preferences of our youth changed and the plan went out the window. Because the plan had fallen, I assumed my journey was over and I had failed.
Boy, was I wrong.
I mean, I guess I had technically failed, but only so that I could see the success of Christ. As soon as I was forced to abandon my sense of control, I was free to observe God's control over a situation, even as I felt helpless. I got back into ministry shortly-after, eventually getting ordained, and now I'm here. I would never describe myself as a faith-giant (especially not compared to so many I know), but in this area I embraced the faith component of ministry and was blessed to see what God could do when I gave up on my own ability to plan.
Paul speaks about the results of faith in people's lives in Hebrews 11. He starts his discussion on faith with this verse...
Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
I love the turn-of-phrase "the reality of what is hoped for". In the midst of life planning, anxiety over household decisions, and family fears, there is this kernel of hope in us all for a life of confidence, contentment, and peace. We hope for a good outcome. We hope for victory in the midst of defeat. We hope for a light burden and a clear path towards our life goals. When we see how unobtainable some of the hopes are, it can be depressing. We can feel that life is a trap and that there is no way out.
But that's where faith comes in. Faith is the reality of what is hoped for. Faith is what can bring us to that peace. Faith is what can bring us to a place of contentment. Faith is the means by which we are able to realize all of those things we think are unobtainable but yet we desperately need. Faith in what, exactly? Faith in God, His power, His will, and His plan. When we learn to release our control of the situation and allow faith to be a part of things, we will be amazed at exactly how "real" our God is.
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