The Meaning of Ministry

Hello, tender friends!

I attended a Women’s Refresh night at my church last week, and we had a good time of relaxation and fellowship!

(That’s my angel princess bride friend, Grayson, the day after she tied the knot!)

The diversity of everyone’s gifts was on display at this event. Someone set up the beverage station. Someone else set the tables. Someone else came up with the brilliant idea of gifting every woman a sugar or salt scrub with essential oils. And someone else brought those bouquets from her own garden!

My friend Laura wrote the devotional of the evening, and one of the things she mentioned was how she sometimes misses college because she misses having friends right down the hall in her dorm.

I have missed this exact thing frequently since graduating college. I read an article years ago about best friends building tiny homes near each other on the same street. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m still praying for it.

The whole “lockdown” thing during Covid made me realize what a joiner I am. It was something I’d never given thought to because it was something I’d never had to live without.

I grew up playing sports and played them throughout high school and intramurally in college. I joined theater in high school and enjoyed those tight-knit relationships you probably only understand if you’ve also been a theater person at some point. (My bonds with friends in sports was kind of like, “Yes, we ran those two mile warmups together in the sweltering heat, or freezing cold, and then spent the next three hours running around the field until we almost threw up! We survived together!” Theater filled a different need in me at that time. Theater people are generally irreverent, sort of absurd, and we all bonded over our own artistic flairs and the electricity of live performance).

As a mom, I’m still a joiner. I’m always up for a playdate, take Cub to church four times a week for bible study and other activities, belong to multiple writers’ groups and just joined a public speaking group. We enjoy farm dinners with other families who also grow their own food or raise livestock at least once a month. We stop and talk to all the neighbors every day when I take Cub on our daily walk.

In short, I need community like I need oxygen because that’s how God designed us. But I only came to understand that welcoming people into community is a form of ministry in recent years. (I won’t explore it in this post, but the role of community in supporting healing has been well-documented. Perhaps a post for another day). I’ve also only recently realized how that community benefits our children, and not just because moms need each other.

Before we had Cub, when people asked us to help out at ministry events at our home church, I would do so reluctantly. I didn’t understand how running a bunch of games for little kids could be ministry and felt sort of ridiculous. My idea of ministry was limited to actively evangelizing people. Yes, my vision was extremely limited.

Of course, as a parent who wants her son to have as many positive experiences as church as possible, I get it now. I lacked the perspective that kids having fun at church lessened the odds of them having the wrong kind of fun in the wrong places as they got older.

And it helps not just in terms of having fun, but in developing socially and cognitively. This verse is relevant here:

I took Cub to visit my friend Sarah’s horse this past week, and it was beautiful to watch her teach Cub how to ride her horse. She worked as an equine therapist for years before starting her family. She was so patient and clear in her instruction, and I kept thinking, “I’m so grateful she’s teaching Cub things that I’d never be able to!” She was doing good and sharing what she has, sharing something I don’t have at all (knowledge about horses).

But thanks to community, Cub was able to have this experience. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: we thrive in community. I’m beyond blessed and grateful to have experienced a ministry night in which everyone shared a unique gift. Similarly, I’m blessed to have so many talented friends willing to share their beautiful and diverse knowledge with my little Boo Boo.

Of course, now I’m wondering how do I pay this forward?

Ok, that’s all for today, tender friends! Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be sharing a food post on Thursday. See you then!

Thank you for sharing!

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