Putting on our Construction Hat

How well did you share as a child? Were you the kid who called for others to join you in the sandbox? Were you the kid who said, “Here’s my only car; I want you to play with it.”? Were you the kid who gave your best friend the Nintendo controller because it was his turn? Chances are you answered no, no, and no (raises hand).

That was totally me. I wanted to play with other kids, just so long as they didn’t touch my toys. It was mine. It was all mine. If I could see it, I claimed it. Face it; from a young age we desire ownership. We want to collect. We want to have. It’s mine! It doesn’t even matter if we’re not going to play with it. It only matters that someone else does not.

What are you claiming as your own? What are you fighting to keep out of the reach of others?

Is it your talents?

Is it your house?

Is it your time?

Is it your money?

Is it your ministry?

Ministry? Yes, ministry! As churches grow, as ministry expands, needs and wants also increase. Ministries fight for resources. Ministries fight for people. Ministries view each other as competition instead of teammates. Instead of working together, encouraging one another, building each other up, fighting ensues. We’re all willing to share the sandbox, but we fight to get all the toys into our corner.

Is this how ministry should take place? No. We need to find a way to work together. We need to discover how we can encourage one another, promote one another, build one another up. We have an idea of what our ministry should look like. We want the best people. We want passionate people. We will steal someone from another area instead of reaching out to a new face. We will create a void in another area just to fill a void in our own.

God sometimes has plans that are radically different from our own. Moses was headed to the Promised Land; however, God said no. David was going to build a temple; however, God said no. We claim God’s grace, God’s goodness, God’s work, as our own. We build up monuments that promote us. We develop a me-centered perspective.

Kill it.

Who’s kingdom are you trying to build? Who’s name are you trying to make known?

Share your toys. Invite others to join you. Stop competing and start completing.