Answering Life Questions

“Have you ever wanted to do something to serve the Lord, only to realize you can't devote the necessary time because of your current responsibilities? How did you deal with this?”

I can’t give you a manual or a proper flow chart, but the questions that you are asking are the same questions that I continue to ask on an ongoing basis.

I have no idea of what kind of things you have in mind, but I would strongly encourage you to consider your motive. Why do you want to do that thing which lies before you? What is the source of it? Is it you? Is it someone else, or is it Jesus?

It might be you. It isn’t that we aren’t allowed to do the things that we want to do, but sometimes our motives are amiss. We want to do things because we see other people doing them. We want to do things because we feel good when we do them.

As for me, I enjoy speaking. In fact, even if I didn’t love Jesus, I’d still enjoy being front and center and engaging the people before me. The difficulty for me is that when I speak, I walk away with a bit of a high. So I have to be careful that I’m not seeking opportunities for the wrong reasons.

Sometimes we want to do things because we see other people who are doing them and it seems like those are the kinds of things that Christians should all be doing. That’s just another form of idolatry.

If the things that you have in mind are there because God has placed them there, the desire won’t likely go away; assuming that you continue drawing near to Him. If it’s God and if you keep seeking after whatever it is you have in mind to do, He is quite capable of making it happen.

You remind me of a young lady who seems to be seeking first the Kingdom and its righteousness. If I’m right and if that’s what you really are all about, then I encourage you to reflect on what Jesus was saying in Matthew 7:7-8 "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."

If the thing that drives you is your own selfish ambition or some other idol, hopefully the desire will subside. I wouldn’t guess that’s the case with you. I would therefore encourage you to merely persist in doing the things that Jesus tells us to do as we seek first His kingdom.

Ask – Keep asking. You have other obligations at the moment. God has a way of dealing with our obligations. In reading the Bible to the kids last night, Elijah was living near a brook. When the brook dried up, it was time for him to move on. Place the matter in His hands. When it’s time to move, He is able to make you move.

When I was a new believer, I had the sense that God wanted me more involved in ministry, but being tied to a family business, I really didn’t have much time to devote to anything outside of that business. I worked Monday to Saturday and had to work a bit on Sundays as well. I prayed to God saying, “If you want me involved more in your service, you’re going to have to dry up my brook.” Within a year, our family business burned to the ground.

Now, hopefully nothing so dramatic will happen at Returning Home. As valuable as you are, the store can carry on in your absence. When it’s time to move, God has the means and the resources to make it happen, if that’s what He wants for you. So keep asking.

The second thing I would encourage you to do is this – Keep seeking. Keep looking for opportunities to do that thing which remains on your heart. If it’s writing, keep writing and keep looking for places to send your writing to. Congratulations by the way on being published online.

Keep looking for places where you might be able to do what’s on your heart. If you aren’t ready to just jump in and ‘do it’, then keep seeking and looking for places that might help to equip you for the task.

The third thing I would encourage you to do is to knock. If you’re asking and seeking, chances are you will find something. When you find an opportunity, knock. Give it a try. Send off a resume. Submit an article you’re written. Call up that church or organization, tell them what is on your heart and ask if they would be interested in what you have to offer.

What if you keep asking, seeking and knocking and nothing happens? Just keep doing these three things as long as the desire is there. Remember that we aren’t following a tin god. If He is in it, He can make it happen. If He’s not in it, I think we need to be willing to let it die.

I hope this helps you. If it makes it worse, just let me know. I’ll stop.