WARNING: This is not your regular Missions Month post!
In honor of Missions Month, our September posts have highlighted all sorts of ways we can live more missionally. But, there’s one suggestion you’d probably never expect. It begins with this…Take a nap.
Weeks ago, I was flat out exhausted and overwhelmed by life and ministry responsibilities. My calendar was ridiculously full and there was no end in sight. By the time Sunday rolled around, I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t want to have a single conversation with anyone.
“So…how do you live missionally when you’re exhausted?”
TAKE A NAP
Church is my happy place; the place I feel most at peace. So not wanting to be there was unheard of for me. It was a sure sign that my exhaustion had reached a dangerous place. So, I did something I’ve never done before.
I ditched church.
After taking care of my responsibilities and setting up a kiosk display in the Foyer, I didn’t go to Connection Class or Worship. Instead, I drove home, put back on my pajamas, climbed into bed and slept for three and a half hours.
After getting some physical rest, I prayed and prayed, telling God exactly how I felt and how inadequate I was to do the ministry job He’d called me to do. He got an earful!
“Give yourself some grace. Take a nap....Let God refill your tank.”
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Finally, I was in a position to hear God’s voice. I’m in a weekly Bible Study, so I began doing my daily homework. Somehow, someway, like only God can do, He used a Bible Study He inspired years ago to speak exactly what I needed at the precise moment I needed it.
Beautifully embedded within that daily homework assignment were the exact three verses God has used to most personally inspire me to help others grow in their faith – to live missionally!
The verses He used years ago to...
- call me into vocational ministry (1 Timothy 1:12)
- help me deal with my own inadequacies in ministry (2 Corinthians 3:5)
- remind me of my purpos e in ministry (2 Timothy 2:2)
God’s Word came alive! He didn’t just use any verse to remind me of my calling; He used my verses – the verses He’s used over and again to inspire and refuel me. Only this time, I didn’t look to find them. I opened up my daily homework and they found me!
I don’t know what your calendar and responsibilities look like today. But I do know this:
It’s hard to be missional when you’re exhausted.
Give yourself some grace. Take a nap. Do your homework. Let God refill your tank. Loving His people well just might depend on it.
Meet the Author!
Bible teacher, author, inspirational speaker and disciple-maker, Vickey is passionate about helping women connect the dots between God’s Word and their everyday lives. She loves serving as Women’s Ministry Director at Council Road, celebrating her people, playing with her puppy and getting lost in a good story.