This post first appeared on Seriously Write.
Finally. At last! By the grace of God, I opened the file for The Shadows Come, so I could work through my editor’s revisions. Those editing marks were completed months ago. How I longed to jump right in when the manuscript returned to me!
However, life often requires us to bump projects around as we move people and significant events ahead of our work. If you’ve been writing for any length of time, you already know this.
Children. Weddings. Parents. Anniversaries. Birthdays. Family. Births. Deaths. Sickness.
These come first. Always, always, people come first. Jesus had the most important ministry in the world. He was constantly “interrupted” by people as he went here and there, and he always stopped to take care of those people. His mission was people, not tasks.
Jesus had the most important ministry EVER. He was constantly “interrupted” by people, and he always stopped to take care of those people. His mission was people, not tasks. Click To TweetHis first miracle was at a wedding. A poor bridegroom faced shame over his lack of financial provision for his wedding. As our bridegroom, Jesus saved this young man from social embarrassment, stepping in to make water into wine and teaching us a lesson about himself.
In the middle of lecturing the Pharisees, he paused as roofing material filtered down upon him and a hole opened in the ceiling. Bit by bit, the friends of a paralyzed man ripped through the roof and lowered down their loved one. Jesus was delighted. He healed the man.
In a crowd of shoving people, all attempting to get to Jesus, people brought their children to be blessed. When the disciples sent them away, Jesus halted what he was doing and delivered the most important statement on children ever voiced. Then he blessed the kids.
Jesus headed toward Jerusalem for the most momentous event in all of human history. As he walked toward his crucifixion, a blind man called out for healing. Stopping in his tracks, Jesus turned. Of course, he went back and healed the man.
God ordered all of his creation and all of his Word around this ultimate act of caring for people—the crucifixion of his Son and his Son’s resurrection from the dead. Our salvation and the securing of our eternity were the goals of everything Jesus did.
The Bible, the entire book, circles around this event. This is the why. This is the pinnacle: Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection. He lived and died and rose for us—for people—to save us from an eternity apart from God and to restore us to right communion with God.
As we sit down to write, as we pound out these words, inevitably the lives of others, the needs of people, and the calls to serve face to face will demand that we temporarily sideline a project. If you don’t know this yet, you will.
God in the flesh modeled what ministry looks like. Jesus was in constant communion with God, following the Father’s lead. Jesus showed us how to live as we serve the Lord God. People are more important than tasks. Kindness is winsome. Bringing needy people into God’s kingdom is our ministry priority. These are our marching orders.
To walk in Jesus’ steps, we keep our eyes on the whys and the Source.
Why are we writing in the first place? If we’re writing to serve the Lord, to obey his calling, and to proclaim his message, then it’s imperative that we keep our ministry of writing in line with his model. What did he do? We must do likewise.
If we’re writing to serve the Lord, to obey his calling, and to proclaim his message, then we must keep our ministry of writing in line with his model. What did he do? Do likewise. #WritingCommunity Click To TweetThe Lord put people first: loving them, serving them, leading them to salvation, being present with them. He is the Source of our words, of our lives, of our unique calling, of the very world in which we live and move and breathe.
As the Source, what does he want of us? We are to walk in his steps.
When he brings needs to our attention, when we must set aside a project momentarily or for a season, we know that he will return us to that work when the time is right, when we have done what he has called us to do, when we have been his own hands and feet.
We are Christ’s body on the earth. Let’s walk in his steps. Serve the people.
Oh my goodness! So beautiful – a much needed reminder for me. This week I set aside an hour every day when I got home to play with my children…just to play. I had to put the phone and social media down. I had to wait to exercise, and my whole schedule got shifted. I ran out of time to write blog posts. I still had to eat and do homework. I only got one day of exercise in, and I was thinking about how to re-group to do better next week. But God needs me more than anything to spend that hour with my children. The interruption is my purpose. I love what you said. He cares about people not tasks ❤️
There’s so much wisdom in your choice, Brittany. You’ll never regret investing in your children ahead of all those others things that pull on your time. While you do need to take care of your body, ALL of these can wait: social media, phone calls, and anything else that isn’t necessary. Those little people are your calling. So is your wonderful husband. So are the people you impact as a teacher. Do what you need to do to stay strong, yet let all those things that aren’t the essentials go for now. You made the right call – as usual, sister! You do well!
Love this message, Melinda! And it’s a reminder I need almost daily. I do pray to surrender my day, my time, my agenda to the Holy Spirit, but sometimes I get in the way of my own prayer! May we surrender our lives again and again for our highest calling- our marriages, our children, our families, our neighbors. Jesus, keep us ever close to hear your whisper of what is best. May our time, be your time, for our lives are in your hands.
We all need this reminder! It’s so easy to think that the people and events the Lord allows to “intrude” into our scheduled plan are the problem. Nope. It’s our hearts that fail to recognize that the sovereign Lord knows what the real ministry and plan is for the moment, and that he has clearly sent them our way.
Amen! I surely do understand the interruptions to write. I am experiencing many of them. I love this part “Jesus was in constant communion with God, following the Father’s lead.”
As I am in constant communion with God, He does lead me. At present, I want to write full-time, but God has me in ministry at my church. This means I write less than I want.
To add, I’m struggling to be at this church for many reasons. But God has said to stay put for now, but I know that He is also leading me out.
As I listen to the Lord and follow His lead, and trust His timing, I know that He will lead me into a place of abundance. Right now, I may feel like I’m in limbo, but God is still working.
Great post, Melinda. As always, your writing lifts me to a place that focuses on God.
You’re already aware of the Lord’s leading, and you know you can trust his timing, plus you’ve served him for many years. Therefore, I know that you have no doubt that he will settle this and make your way clear in just the right time. We must always be attuned to him with our ear cocked and our hearts attuned to the still small Voice of the One who directs us in the way we should go. Press toward him, sister!
So good, Melinda! All those life events you mentioned always come first. Jesus never minded interruptions. To be about His Father’s business was more important than the busyness that often clutters our lives. What if as writers, we made the Father’s business (His agenda) our top priority in our personal lives and families, and in our words? My husband, a pastor, likes to say, we have a problem when ministry becomes more about the program than the people. This article reminded me of that. Love this thought: “To walk in Jesus’ steps, we keep our eyes on the whys and the Source.” Such a great message for those of us who write. Because our calling is from the Lord, the people…the readers are always the whys of our writing, we minister to them in Jesus’ name.
I love that saying of your husband: “we have a problem when ministry becomes more about the program than the people.” Truth! The man is wise! He walks in Jesus’ steps!
Beautifully written post Melinda. Our churches and ministries must always be about the people not the programs. When we follow Christ, we must follow His ways and He will determine our success.
Thanks for commenting, Yvonne! It’s so easy to forget to follow the Founder of our Faith, even though we’ve clearly been told to walk in his steps.
Thank you, thank you for this reminder! It is so easy for me to get bogged down in the details of my job as a freelance journalist — there is SO much to do! And I can easily get frustrated when people ask me to take time out of my day to do something with them. I feel frustrated because I think, “Don’t they consider what I do a real job? They wouldn’t ask their husband to take time out of his office job to do this!” But then I must remember God has gifted me with this flexible schedule in order to minister to those who need a friend during the day or someone to talk to or simply to just spend time with. Thanks for this reminder to make time for people!
Oh Emily, that feeling of pressure builds in our chests and sparks those exact reactions! Adjusting to “interruptions” when we work from home or with flexibility in our schedules is such a challenge. That’s why Jesus’ response is so incredible and impressive. He had a mission. He had things to do. No one understood his agenda. People were often hopping right into the middle of things, and yet he understood that every one of those interruptions was some part of the mission, indeed, might even be THE main part of that day’s work. He demonstrates in his every interaction his constant connection with the father, his discipline of continually communicating and being mindful of God’s leading in every instance. If we can but do that. If we can recall that God is indeed sovereign over each and everything that touches our lives, we would be relieved of so many unnecessary frustrations. That’s my daily challenge.