I read this blog post a little while back and the opening sentence really stood out to me. The author shared the quote, “We have a choice. We can minister in the world we wish we had. Or, we can minister in the world we do have.”
As I’ve talked about planning and thinking about the future in the last month or so you may have found yourself saying something like the phrase, “I wish we could, but…” Sometimes thinking like that inspires creative ideas, but other times there just aren’t simple ways to dismiss the challenges we’re confronted with.
We have a little control over things like the budget we’re given, the resources we find to use, who our student leaders will be, etc. The things we won’t be able to control are what place students are in spiritually when they come to college and how they respond to our ministries and God’s work in their lives.
That’s when I think the above quote is so important to how we approach our ministries. Living in the state of wishing we had been handed a different situation and comparing ourselves to others never accomplishes anything good. Instead, we can ask God why He has given us the students and obstacles He has and look for creative ways to minister to the world we have been given.
I truly believe that sometimes God gives us opportunities disguised as obstacles. When we embrace them instead of running from them new doors are opened and we learn something important that can take our ministry to a new level. Above all God is sovereign and we must trust that He knows what He’s doing.
So, what obstacles are you facing that could end up being opportunities? Why has God given you the circumstances you’re facing right now?