You Are Not Called To ‘Fix’ It
You will approach ministry, life and relationships as a mechanic or a gardener. When you are dealing with something that is living and pulsating, for the most part, you cannot come as a mechanic, you must come as a gardener with the same patience and gentleness that would be used in tending roses, seedlings, sapplings, etc. What springs from the gardener is nurture and care. What springs from a mechanic is the end result that takes preeminence over the handling of the same. The mechanic’s touch is absent of care and nurture that a shepherd would have for a sheep.
Rather than being critical of what is perceived as being wrong, love for the one you are ministering to will empower your efforts and all hard, harsh assessments will be nowhere to be found. Compassion, marked by tenderness and gentleness, will carry the word or action of ministry deep into the soul of the one receiving ministry, whether it is a church, a pastor, or a person.
I am reminded of the dispute that Solomon had to settle between the two women who claimed to be the mother of an infant child. Both women passionately declared that they were the mother. Solomon had to make a decision. Wisely, he said that the child should be cut in half and divided between the two women. The real mother was repulsed and backed away giving the child to the woman who was claiming to be her baby’s mother. Solomon knew that his contrived judgment would bring the real mother to the surface out of her love for her baby. The same is true when you are ministering to the imperfect, multi-faceted and unique needs of the church. It is not perfect, but it is still the Lord’s and I love it.(I love this part the most.)
Excerpts from: ‘Fighting For Our Rights or Getting It Right’ by Pastor Freddie Steel
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