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

[note note_color=”#fffff3″ text_color=”#1a7616″ radius=”10″]This is part of the Introduction to the Ministry Appreciation and Participation Toolkit or MAP Toolkit that I am working on. I dream that the MAP Toolkit will be used by pastors and ministry leaders in New Zealand and other parts of the world to enrich and advance their ministries, especially multicultural ministry. – Jonan Castillon[/note]

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 being spoken by some Kiwis who share or report about their missionary work in India, Southeast Asia or any other Third World country.

Well, 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 live in a far better situation than the country or community they are ministering to can speak the statement.

Yes, a Filipino, Indian, Thai, Sri Lankan, Nepalese or any other people from other countries who are now 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 the reason 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,” then I can see two possible implications on one’s ministry or to his or her ability to minister.

First, one’s ability to see the beautiful 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.

Know that He has been there before you were born, before you know there is such a place, or even before you thought of becoming a missionary, pastor, or ministry leader.

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

So, instead of presuming that you are the missionary or pastor 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, many ways and way, 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 to see themselves as the “experts” and the “not-so-blessed people” need their expertise.

When you are doing ministry work, you must not have the presumptions described above.

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

The primary task you need to do 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.

These are very important starting points in your step towards sincere ministry appreciation.