Why Bother?

I’ve recently been invited to teach at a variety of women’s events. While I count it a complete honor to be able to speak to women, there are those moments when I ask the question: Will this even matter? It’s a question that I think every Christian communicator asks at some point. You pray, you study, you plan, you show up, and you want to know that somehow you made a difference. Why bother investing all the time and energy if there’s no eternal fruit from the endeavor? You pour your heart out and sometimes you can see that God moved, but sometimes you can’t. You call people up and you wonder if anyone will move an inch.I think this same question comes into our minds as women in a myriad of other circumstances.

• Will this gesture to my neighbor even make a difference?
• I’ve tried to reach out to so-and-so before without any response, so why bother?
• I could blog but what does it really matter, anyway?
• Yes, our country needs people of faith involved, but what can one person do? Why bother?

If you’ve ever asked that question, I think an answer is essential. The enemy is skilled at making us doubt that fulfilling our divine calling matters. Think about that. God has given us gifts and talents to use for His purpose, but the enemy has made it a full-time job to cause us to doubt that using those God-created gifts would make a difference. When I look at it that way, it makes me mad. It’s time to kick him out of our thoughts.Here are 3 questions to ask yourself to help you figure out if you should bother:

1. Is this about you?If you’re doing something out of personal gain, then it’s unlikely it will yield much eternal fruit. Yes, God is big enough to use us in spite of ourselves. But this is a critical question to ask. Do you volunteer because you want people to think well of you? Are you trying to position yourself to have some backdoor influence? What’s your motive? If you’re trying to be faithful, then proceed to question two.

2. Have you prayed about it?Seems like an overly basic question… or maybe what you’d expect from a pastor’s wife! But we often jump ahead and ask God to bless what we’ve already decided to do, rather than ask Him what His plan is. This will require us to slow down. This will require us to discern God’s direction. But it will also allow us to join God where He’s already at work. We can’t skip this step.

3. Do you realize the burden isn’t on you?If you’re honestly trying to be used by the Lord and praying through how you use your time and energy each day, the biggest encouragement may be realizing that we aren’t called to be the heroes. God isn’t picking the most skilled players and hoping we perform well. He chooses to use those who are willing vessels. The reality is that when I teach, I’m 100% dependent on God showing up. He’s the only One who can move hearts. That’s the bottom line when I parent, when I write, when I share my faith, when I reach out to a friend. The same is true for you. Why bother? Bother because God is looking for a willing heart.

[bctt tweet="We aren’t called to be the heroes. We're called to be willing vessels."]