Mundane or Dynamic – by Keith Havard
Mundane or Dynamic?
The title of this post may not really convey the true description of the point that I’m trying to get across right from the start….Please read on.
In Romans 12 v7 the writer is talking about the church as if we are all like different parts of a body (which in fact that is what we are) and encouraging the church to use their gifts to the best of their abilities. 1 Corinthians 12 v31 urges us to ‘eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit, especially the gift of prophecy’. We all desire to be blessed with the gifts of healing, prophecy, words of wisdom or revelation, to be a great evangelist or apostle- Someone who is blessed with a dynamic life changing gift…….
When I was a young lad , probably about 10 or 11 years of age a pop group called The Beatles came on the scene. My friends and I desperately wanted to become the next Beatles or big group to emerge. My best friend had a battered old acoustic guitar and I nagged my parents incessantly for a guitar so as I could attempt to achieve my dream. An elderly lady living a few doors down played the banjo and she taught me a few chords. Unfortunately after about a week of getting nowhere and my fingers hurting I gave up……..
Dreams come and go- The dream of being a top flight footballer came and went, the dream of being a formula one driver disappeared into the distance faster than the Mclaren of James Hunt………I had so many regrets of things that I never managed to achieve. In my later Christian walk I can too look back and see so many things that I feel I’ve failed at or underachieved.
A few weeks ago, at the early morning men’s prayer morning I shared part of a daily reading that lands on my phone every weekday morning. Below is an extract from that reading.
“There are times when we do well to gaze back. Moses reached just such a point as he considered his life at the border of a land promised, yet never entered. This was as far as God brought him, and God freely told him why. We are all products of our history, yet by God’s grace need not be prisoners to it. However, as we face significant transition points, reflection is healthy. Moses had battled all his life to lead the people into the Promised Land in obedience to God’s commission. Yet, he was to die just a few metres short. This was no failure, although Moses may have felt it was. Regret and resentment for finishing short of this borderline would have been understandable. Of course, he might also have looked at how he had galvanised and sustained a troublesome people to walk out of slavery, survive the wilderness and grow in friendship and service of God. He had trained and mentored a successor, who would prove worthy of his trust, and God’s. Moving forward, transitioning well, is acknowledging the regrets, letting go of those things we aspire to that cannot happen, and celebrating those markers that reveal our faithfulness through uncertain and difficult times.”
Reading this short testimony gave me a fresh hope and a reality check to make me realise how far I had come and how much I had achieved. I have never been a great evangelist, preacher, prophet, apostle, healer of the sick or bringer of revelation. Does that make me a failure? How many times have I missed the mark set for me, does that make me a failure? I have to be content with what I have managed to achieve, the goals that I have met, the ones I haven’t really counted….
Coming up to and during the week of Passion I put myself forward for about as much as I could. The Worship Team took up a lot of time with the practice sessions, (which I enjoyed immensely) but I was also asked to help with the teas and coffees, something I would have in previous years shied away from, making some half-hearted excuse so as to avoid it like the plague. I have to admit I really enjoyed doing it. It was a real pleasure and an enjoyment to serve. The blessings I got from it really made up for all the hard work. The vast majority of the women present, thanked us and were so appreciative and grateful- that alone made up for the tiredness I was feeling at the end of the day. I have come to realise that over the years I have come to accept my role in the church – that I may not be at the forefront, bringing great sermons (nothing wrong with that – I really admire those with that gifting) but knowing that God can use me to bless others, promoting them, encouraging them, helping them get on better in this life is reward enough. Being appreciated is one of the best feelings in the world….I would just like to encourage others not to devalue the mundane task of serving, but to see it for what it is, giving someone else the hand up the next rung of the ladder, encouraging them, blessing them by whatever means possible. Taking the trouble to say to someone ‘What you did was great’, thanking them for the effort of putting themselves out so that others may benefit , doing menial tasks serving in areas where they probably are unsung heroes………Mundane or dynamic? You tell me……
God bless you all
Keith Havard