The TLC Network has a show titled My Strange Addiction about people who have unusual fixations: like the man who keeps 50,000 balloons in his home, the woman who eats deodorant, the woman who likes to drink gasoline, the man who can’t stop cycling, the woman who constantly sniffs baby powder, and the man who eats glass. The show is now in its fourth season. A lot of strange addictions out there. A&E has a similar show called Hoarders; you’ve probably seen it. Each episode features two people who are compulsive hoarders, and family members and experts who try to help the persons realize their dysfunction. That show is in its sixth season.
These shows highlight what can happen with people with compulsive disorders: because of their obsession, they are not able to function normally. They become so fixated on one thing, they are not able to deal with the problems around them. More often than not, after a hoarder’s house is cleaned up, the house is full of stuff a few month’s later. Because they can’t operate outside their obsession, their obsession consumes them.
The same thing can happen with ministry. I’ve seen people become so consumed with ministry, they are not able to deal with other problems around them. The thinking goes something like this, “What can more important than ministry? It’s about depopulating hell and populating heaven. It’s about getting people closer to Jesus. What could be a higher priority?”
There was once a volunteer worship leader named Matthew who was very good at what he did. He was very faithful to serve at all the weekend services, rehearsals, and behind-the-scenes work. From the outside, you would say he was a strong Christian. But if you were to take a look on the inside, you would see his marriage collapsing, his parenting non-existent, and his health in jeopardy. The only thing going well for him was ministry but everything else was in shambles. People around him said he needed to take a break from ministry so he could concentrate on his family and health, but ministry became an excuse not to deal with the elephant in the room. Because he chose ministry over everything else, Matthew ended up divorced and negating his ministry.
There was a young lady named Diana who was involved in youth ministry. You could find her helping at the weekly youth meetings, weekly discipleship groups, and monthly big events. However, her studies were going downhill. She was enrolled in the nearby university but she was barely passing. The leadership told her to take some time off so she could concentrate on her studies but she felt guilty doing so. Because she chose ministry over schooling, she failed to graduate. This one event had a domino effect. Because she didn’t have a bachelor’s degree, she couldn’t get a well-paying job. Therefore, she and her husband struggled to make ends meet month after month. Because she had to work two jobs, she was no longer able to do any ministry.
These two stories are not uncommon. I hear similar stories time after time. What has happened is that ministry has become an excuse to not do what’s important. You might ask, “But isn’t ministry important?” Yes, but not all the time. Sometimes the best thing you can do is not do any ministry. Sometimes you need to take a break from ministry in order to accomplish what the Lord has called you to do.
For example, many of the students on the college campus are involved in ministry. One of my early exhortations to them is that they need to fulfill what the Lord has called them to do. If the Lord has called them to the college, then they need to do well in their studies. But more often than not I see ministry become an excuse not to do well in school. Students will say, “I wasn’t able to finish my paper because there was a ministry event” or “I wasn’t able to take the exam because I was busy with ministry.” This reflects faulty thinking…ministry becomes the priority, not what the Lord has called them to do. They think, “I’m doing ministry so I can be excused from my studies.”
Ministry will always be there. As one of my co-workers says, “The hungry will always be around.” In other words, there will always be an event to attend, a ministry that needs your help, a service where you need to assist. But during certain times God will ask you to stop those activities to focus on what He has called you to do. When He does, you need to take a time-out from ministry to do what He specifically asks. I’m not saying ministry is bad, but it becomes bad when it distracts you from what you’re supposed to do.
What some fail to see is that doing what the Lord has called you to do, even if it means not doing ministry for a season, elongates your ministry life. When you take care of what’s important now, it will free you up for ministry later. But when you don’t take care of what’s important, there will be a negative domino effect which will shorten your ministry life.
Sometimes we don’t have good leaders who last because they use ministry as an excuse.
Questions to Think About:
Are there some things you need to take care of now but haven’t because of ministry?
During this season, is ministry becoming a bigger priority than it should be?
© Gary Lau 2013
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