Ministry Appreciation – Perils of the “How-blessed-you-are” Perspective

This post is part of the Introduction to the Ministry Appreciation and Participation Toolkit or MAP Toolkit that I am working on. I dream that pastors and ministry leaders will use the MAP Toolkit to enrich and advance their ministries, especially multicultural ministry. – Jonan Castillon

Are you really that blessed?

Are what we see and feel as “blessings” the measure for ministry appreciation?

“You just don’t know how blessed you are.”

I often hear this statement from some persons sharing or reporting about their missionary work in India, Southeast Asia or any other Third World country.

I cannot blame some missionaries if they utter such a statement as I understand where they are coming from and where they had been.

Maybe the statement is intended to awaken or challenge the NZ congregation to realise how blessed they are, and so they need to share that “blessings” to the least peoples of other countries.

Also, anyone who realises that they are living in a far better situation than the country or community they are ministering to may say the same.

Yes, a Filipino, Indian, Thai, Sri Lankan, Nepalese, or other people from other countries living here in New Zealand could not avoid saying, “You just don’t know how blessed you are.”

Maybe comparing the lifestyle and opportunities that New Zealand offers to one’s native country could be why some would say that the people in New Zealand are blessed indeed.

Two implications of the “You just don’t know how blessed you are” perspective

However, if one’s perspective is limited to the statement “You just don’t know how blessed you are,” I can see two possible implications on one’s ministry or their ability to minister.

First, one’s ability to see the wonderful manifestation of the Sovereign Almighty Omnipresent God in a particular place is hindered and limited.

You will fail to see and appreciate what the Sovereign Almighty Omnipresent God has established in what you consider as a “not-so-blessed” place.

Please be reminded that He has been there before you were born, before you knew such a place exists or thought of becoming a missionary or pastor to that particular country or area.

Indeed, the Lord God has done great and mighty things for His people regardless of geographical location.

So, instead of presuming that you are the missionary extraordinaire, the expert, you must in all humility assume that you are ignorant of anything about what you perceive as the “not-so-blessed” place.

Then you must ask the Lord God for wisdom and guidance to point you to what He has done for and to your place of mission, in many ways and ways, way ahead of you.

Second, it affects your perception and attitude towards the people who came from what you thought was a “not-so-blessed” place.

For believing that you are one of the “how-blessed-you-are” people, your expectation of yourself is also affected.

Because you thought that you came from a “very blessed place”, you can’t help but have that tendency to presume that you are the “saviour” or “deliverer” of blessings for the “not-so-blessed” place.

Some would assume that they have the best training and experiences, so they would see themselves as the “experts” and the “not-so-blessed people” who need our expertise.

It would help if you didn’t have the presumptions described above when doing ministry work.

The best position is that regardless of how “not-so-blessed” you perceive the location or situation of your ministry area is, you must always believe that the Lord God has always been there ahead of you.

The primary task you need is to seek and find what the Lord God has done and has been doing in what you perceive as a “not-so-blessed” place.

This primary task is critical in your step towards sincere ministry appreciation.