I visited one of my daughters recently during lunch time. She’s an incredible stay at home mom raising three (so far) children and providing daycare for her nephew (another grandson) as well. When I arrived, the youngest was asleep and the other three were quietly eating. Nap time was on the horizon but for the next few minutes they played with Popa. My oldest grand daughter decided to give drinking straws to her brother and cousin. Suddenly those straws became magic wands, except for the youngest boy Luke. Naturally his straw was a sword. The two oldest pointed at me and named something. While I dodged the sword, the other two turned me into Batman, Spiderman, regular man… you get the idea. For a while Popa attempted to be whatever they wanted me to be. I left as they were headed for a nap.
In the car, I thought how similar this is to ministry—sound man, light man, worship man, choir man, hospital man, preacher man. We get the tap and off we go. We have the distinct privilege of wearing a variety of hats. Hang in there if switching seems a little awkward at first. Don’t feel bad if there’s a particular hat you don’t like to put on. It may take a little while to feel comfortable going from one to the other. God is always there to help. Our lists may not be the same, but one thing is certain, God is always involved in the details. We’ve all wished for a very specific troubleshooting guide to help. Thankfully the Lord already provided what we needed. He told His disciples the last evening they were together, “Let not your heart be troubled...”. Then He said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.” Jn.14:1,15-16.
I’m sure the Holy Spirit hears a fair amount of requests for assistance from all of us. Let’s face it, we need help! But for those with a relationship with the Lord, help is always available. And thankfully, the Spirit of truth is never wrong. He knows exactly what we and those we’re attempting to minister to need. Praise God! Excuse me while I go play with the grand kids some more.
God is good,
Tim Covert
