Successful or Faithful?

July 21, 2007 - Saturday                  

Category: Religion and Philosophy

I guess I will give up apologizing for the amount of writing that seems to be spilling out lately. I get something out of it even if no one else does, so it's not wasted at least. :)

I just ran across the following farewell article that I wrote for the South Island Conference of New Zealand as I was finishing up my year as a volunteer youth worker for the Nelson SDA Church in 2003-2004. It was a very intense year for me, experiencing ministry first-hand, in all it's beauty and roughness. It's taken quite a bit of time, in fact, to process through the year--to let go of what I thought were "failures" in my ministry "attempt," to surrender bitterness from times I felt somewhat abandoned in my task, and even just understanding how my heart could be wrapped up so tightly and so deeply in the lives of every-day people in a little, struggling church in New Zealand. In this article, I was basically debriefing or coming to terms with whatever all my time and ministry there amounted to. I think anyone who has ever attempted to enter into the lives and challenges of others might go through a similar process--ultimate surrender to God of your gift of service, and recognizing that it's His work in the end. We're just the lucky ones who get to help out now and then. :)

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Successful or Faithful?

With my year in New Zealand quickly drawing to a close, I pause to look back on my experience in Nelson as a volunteer youth worker. What can really be said to sum up a year of working with people? It's hard to know, since the results are not always obvious, as many professionals who work with people will tell you.

How is success defined or measured? Was I "successful" in my task here? Does it really matter? This is something I have struggled with during the year, but I have learned something in the process that hopefully will stick with me for life. Not long before I left home, my dad passed on a valuable quote that I have recited to myself and others many times: "God does not call us to be successful; He calls us to be faithful." I cannot base my value on what the world, or anyone else, including myself, defines as "success." I can try, but if I do not measure up to those expectations, or if plans don't go the way I intended, then my worth as a person is shattered. I either become bitter and give up, or I become more determined not to fail next time until, at last, I do give up in despair. This is what Satan would have us do to discourage us from our work in the church. It's easy to get excited about a project or a cause that is "on the move", but what happens when things fall apart? Where do we find meaning when we're let down hard? We find meaning in Jesus. We find personal value in Jesus. And ultimately, we find success in Jesus.

Success should be left up to Him. He has only asked us to be faithful. It may not seem like your role is very important or necessary, but being faithful no matter the cost, no matter the seeming futility of the work, this is what God can use. This is because God's measure of success is totally different from ours. "'My thoughts are completely different from yours,' says the Lord. 'And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.'" (Isaiah 55:8,NLT)

None of this is to say that my time in Nelson was very hard or dislikeable. It was challenging and took some perseverance, but it was also incredibly rewarding. I have been privileged to see God working first-hand many times, through working with the ADRACare program donating food to families each week, and getting to know them; through various Bible studies I've led out in and attended; working with the youth and Pathfinders; being involved in various areas of the church; visiting people of various age groups, social status, and races; in having a strong support network of friends; and just the everyday moments in which God chooses to reveal Himself.

One of the coolest ways I've seen God working this year, however, was in the lives of two special friends of mine who I have gotten to know, and have spent quite a bit of time with over the year. It's been such a blessing to see so much spiritual growth in such a short time, though God began working with them long before I showed up. After some months of Bible study (which innocently started as "finding out what Adventists believe"), both Corey Pascoe and Leah Armstrong decided they wanted to follow Jesus, and wanted to publicly commit their lives to Him through baptism. It was a joy for me, and many in the church who have been a part of their lives, to witness the baptisms of Corey and Leah by Pastor Paul Rankin, on May 22.

Indeed, it's been a full year of learning, growth, and discovering God's power, especially through prayer. I don't think its that God wasn't working around me before this year, but this year I have discovered where and how to look. God is not always working in the way we expect Him to be working, but He is always at work. There have been times this year when I wasn't so certain of that, but as I have begun to understand this concept, I have been learning to trust God to work out His plan in His own time, and to rest, knowing that He will show me a day at a time what I can do to be a part of that plan. One day, sooner or later, I will understand the bigger picture. In the meantime, all I have to do is be faithful. I will always have fond memories of the South Island and the wonderful friends I made here. God bless! - Andrea Keele, Nelson Youth Volunteer

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