Ministry

When my husband and I first started dating, I was nervous about meeting his parents. He had met my parents long before, so he couldn't wait for me to meet his. After putting it off for some time, I finally decided to go. One weekend, we casually stopped by their home, and I was immediately taken aback by what I saw. 

Unlike the typical weekend in my home, their living room was crowded with young people. My husband's mother had cooked a storm, serving everyone refreshments and her famous cultural delicacies. Most of the siblings had friends over, along with their friends' friends. They all seemed to have a special bond with their parents, which made me a bit envious. It felt like they were best friends.  We all loved each other in my family, but spending Friday night together was the last thing we wanted to do.

As time went on and we got married, I continued to spend more time with my husband's family. Mom and Dad went above and beyond, constantly serving everyone, from routine Sunday banquets to providing unlimited daycare services. It seemed that most of their spare time was spent doing things for their family and everyone else. While I admired their closeness, I didn’t quite understand why they had to put so much effort in.

One day, we unusually found ourselves alone, and I had a heart-to-heart conversation with them. I asked my mother-in-law why she worked so hard to take care of everyone. “How do you not burn out?” I wondered. 

She shared a valuable lesson that day: “My family is my ministry. " That’s when I realized it was their selfless service that brought everyone closer together.

I had never considered that ministry begins when and where we begin to selflessly serve. We often pray for God to give us extraordinary ministry, or we pray that he heals our relationships with our spouses and ministers to our children. But are we also willing to go out of our way to serve? This principle applies at home, in the workplace, and within our communities.

Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many… (Matt. 20:28)