Yesterday, during part of our ministry training, we had some space to pray for each other, and I felt like God was saying to me, 'You know how you feel? This guy over here, it's the same with him,' and the whole half hour, I couldn't shake that off me. Normally, I would go share what God said to me about someone with that person, but I wasn't willing to in the moment because I didn't have the solution; I couldn't find the encouragement in it.
So I said back to God, 'Ok, but what's the answer?' I thought, maybe we're both experiencing this, but how is it in any way encouraging for me to say that to him? If I asked him if he felt like this too, and he said yes, what was I suppose to say to that? 'Uh, me too. Sucks, right?' That's all I had.
As the conversation with God continued, though, He gave me some insight. He told me it's a safety check. Feeling overlooked and unconsidered, not receiving the recognition and praise of man where I perhaps think I should or would like to, is meant to keep my heart in alignment with His. It begs the question, 'WHY am I doing this? WHO am I doing this for?' I have to keep reminding myself, I stand before an audience of One and I am here to bring Him glory, not to make a name for myself. Any gifts I have were given to me by God and they aren't gifts for me; they're for the Body and they're for the lost.
So that's what I shared with this guy, although nowhere near as clearly as I've written it here. To be honest, I don't think I would have pushed into hearing God's heart about this had I not felt someone else was experiencing the same thing. I would have simply left the complaint on His doorstep, content with trying not to feel sorry for myself. How kind of God to press me on it (He did; I really couldn't shake it), wanting to share truth with me, rather than just allowing the conversation to trail off without me understanding part of His heart for me in it. His words have brought me such clarity and peace and I'm really thankful for that.
In re-reading my previous post and considering some of the people who I believe are easily overlooked--a lot of us are background people; we're not in your face, we're not forceful, we just get on with what we've been given to do. And my encouragement to you is, if you know someone like this, encourage them! Let them know that what they contribute is significant! Help them feel like they're seen and heard and appreciated for who they are and what God has put inside them. And don't just say it; think about how you can action it. One of the best compliments is when someone asks me to use one of my gifts to help them!
Here's a short video I found today from Paul Scanlon about the value of hidden seasons. It encouraged me in this so I hope it will encourage you if and when you find yourself in that season.
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