Our call can be distorted by ambition—our own or someone else’s. I’ve had many conversations with people who’ve given me great ideas about new things our church should be doing. They typically don’t want to do what they’ve suggested; they just want someone to get it done—namely Luke and me. One woman presented a request to me as a way to “enhance our church’s standing in the community.” The motivation was to glorify our church’s name—not Christ’s. Once upon a time her suggestions would have sounded intriguing. There was nothing overtly evil in them. Once upon a time, I may have felt the need to try to accommodate her requests for no other reason than she thought I should. Thankfully, I’ve realized that the only way I’ll have my “happily ever after” is for God to write the story.
I’ve learned to deal with these situations by operating under the assumption these people are describing their grand plans because God is asking them to step into something more. Luke always says, “If God gave you the idea, then He’s probably telling you to do it!” I’ve come a long way in saying, “You know, that’s a fabulous idea. I’ll support and pray for you if you decide to take that on.” There have been times when the person has blossomed into new ministry. And the others? Well, they are too ashamed to admit they never intended on serving. This will be a boundary issue you’ll deal with time and time again, so preparing a standard comeback will help you in saying no without being downright rude.
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You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes
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