March 2, 2012
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My Plead ~ Get Messy!
About 2 months ago I had a real restlessness for ministry. I can’t pinpoint why, but I was feeling like the ministry we do was neat and pretty. I was feeling like I wanted to get messy in ministry. I don’t think I wanted to go looking for mess, but I more wanted to let masks down and get real with anyone we are in ministry with. I wanted to be uncomfortable.
John and I talked about adoption…and foster care. To me foster care seemed “messy” and really uncomfortable.
But we never felt we got the green light from God for either of those things.
So we just kept at the newlywed class, having people in our homes, and being sensitive to God’s calling.
Then God started growing a friendship with a friend who was walking through a dark season in her marriage.
God started crossing our paths…daily.
Then God allowed us to walk through this messy, ugly pit with her and her husband. Not from afar, but right next to them every painful step of the way.
The last 2 weeks have been some of the most emotionally and spiritually draining for me and my husband. We’ve spend time in prayer. I’ve cried (not sure if John has), we’ve sought God hard, we’ve gotten advice from others who have walked the path my friend and her husband are walking, and we’ve watched God move a mountain.
Honestly, I don’t know how their story will end. Today I have hope for this marriage.
But as I’ve “gotten messy” in ministry there’s a stirring in me to be even more bold as God directs.
See satan is crafty! He causes people to drift towards isolation in their sin and pain. They think they are the only ones who have walked this path of pain. So we put on pretty smiles and pretend everything is okay. When inside we’re dying and our marriages are falling apart.
I will also say my bubble, my nice Christian bubble, has burst. This isn’t a bad thing, just a smack of reality has hit me upside the head!
I look at the world with a new set of glasses.
This blog is to plead with you, let the masks down! If you have pain in your marriage don’t sit on it. It may be stage one cancer that left untreated will be stage four in a couple of years. Don’t think your problem is an isolated account. Ask God to bring others in your life who have walked ahead of you. You’ll be amazed as you open up this private pain that God will bring others to walk along side you. He’s a God of details!
I plead with you to teach your sons about the danger of porn! Oh goodness…how I wish I could not even think this is a problem…but my bubble has popped. Protect your sons eyes with the seriousness of a lion and her cubs. Get radical in protecting them! It’s a slippery slope! Don’t be naive. Speak to your husband about it, openly and freely! If this is an area you feel like you can’t talk about with your husband…why? Break the silence!
Also, if you’re married have nothing that is password protected from your mate! All emails, facebook, twitter, iPhones, and any other accounts should be open and free to your mate. Walk openly with your mate!
My heart is just pounding writing this knowing some of you may laugh this off, or read and think, “Heather’s being silly or over reacting.” That’s okay! If no one responds in action to this blog that’s okay because I am obey God in writing this!
All glory to God!!
Comments (1)
so far in my life it seems like working with people is pretty much always messy. we’ve had some rough times with ministry lately. very messy stuff. painful stuff. and it’s easy to get discouraged and feel like you must be doing something wrong and want to give up. but… ministry is hard. fighting the good fight wasn’t meant to be easy. not all ministry fits into a nice box with a pretty bow. that’s okay.