I believe many people experience burnout in ministry because they are pursuing what they want to do rather than surrendering to what God has called them to do. There is a difference between serving God out of our own ambitions and serving Him through obedience to His calling, even when that calling looks nothing like we imagined. Ministry isn’t always about position, recognition, or a paycheck; sometimes it’s simply about being willing to go wherever God leads and doing whatever He asks even in the most obscure ways.
Since I have had many jobs over the years and now spend most of my time at home, people have asked me, “What do you do for work?” My response is usually, “Anything I need to, to be able to do what I believe God has called me to do and pay my bills.”
My purpose is to minister to others wherever I am, for the Kingdom and His glory. To be clear, I have never been full-time paid staff at the church where I get to minister, so the time I invest there is heavenly-minded, hopefully storing up treasures in heaven.
A couple years back, I was blessed with the opportunity to provide attendant care for two of my grandchildren who have special needs. This helps pay the bills, and for that, I consider myself blessed beyond measure to be able to watch them all grow closer to me and more importantly closer to Jesus.
Over the past decade, since leaving the automotive trade, I have relied on living out the idea that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure as a way of life. For some reason, my past seems to reflect that more often than not.
As a child, I went dumpster diving to find something to play with or perhaps discover a treasure along the way. More recently, I have done it as a means of helping provide for my family, everything from aluminum cans to automobiles.
I find things on the side of the road during bulk trash pickup and recover other people’s discarded and unwanted belongings, sometimes after a family member has passed away. It has also become a great avenue for ministering to people who are hurting and broken. For the most part, it is a win-win for everyone involved. I fix and sell what I can, and donate or dispose of what I can’t.
There have been a time or two when I’ve been caught in the act of physically climbing into a dumpster to retrieve something I saw as valuable. I’m not proud of what I do, but I’m not ashamed either. It is what it is, we have food on the table and a roof over our heads and for that I am thankful.
To be clear, this is not how I imagined my life would look in my 60s, but I am blessed to have the freedom to devote time to my family and share the Gospel of the Lord Jesus as freely as I do with the people I meet along this journey called life.
I sometimes think about certain individuals and wonder if I did something wrong or something right. The rock group Rush is traveling the world in their 70’s, getting paid large amounts of money to do what they love. Tom Cruise is worth over 600 million dollars. And then there’s me. I may have a net worth of a negative $348,218.27, but I try to live with a gratitude that I pray expresses God’s love for me in every situation I can. To me, that is priceless.
The older I get the more I pray about what I am called to do and how I am to live the rest of my life before God. I am frequently reminded of what is written in:
1 Corinthians 9:16 For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. 18 What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.
In reading this, I am thankful to say that I am not a hireling. I am not serving for a paycheck, a title, recognition, or the approval of man, because I believe I have been entrusted with a calling that I cannot simply walk away from. My reward is not found in what I receive here on earth, but in the privilege of sharing the Gospel freely, serving others faithfully, and being obedient to what God has placed before me day in and day out.
Over the years, I have tried to explain why I live the way I do and why it seems so natural for me to handle other people’s garbage and discarded junk. The only reason I can share is that the character defects I am still working through, I know intimately what it feels like to be considered garbage and discarded junk, mostly because of my past addictions and poor life choices.
What used to be my most shameful secrets, have, through the work of God and an outward expression of repentance, become a story of hope and redemption for some who needed encouragement that they are not alone in their struggles.
I believe that in this season of my life, this is the calling God has given me: to live for His purpose, whatever the end may be. And I will rejoice as I endure to the end of my life.
I have made it my life’s goal to do my best to make unwanted individuals feel a little less unwanted and to live out what C.T. Studd said:
“Some want to live within the sound
Of church or chapel bell;
I want to run a rescue shop,
Within a yard of hell.”
I have come to realize that most of the people I interact with through what I do and how I live my life will never step foot inside a church building.
In reading the Word, we must understand that the “Church” is the body of Christ, with hands and feet meant to work outside the walls that so easily confine the masses into complacency.
If you get a chance would you please pray this for me, over my life, and over my heart:
Heavenly Father, we lift up our brother to You and ask that You continue to guide his steps, guard his heart, strengthen his body, and keep his motives pure as he seeks to serve You wherever You lead him. We pray that You would provide him with wisdom, discernment, provision, protection, and endurance to fulfill everything You have called him to do, and that he would never lose sight of the purpose behind his calling. May he never grow weary in doing good, never compromise the truth of Your Word, and always find opportunities to show Your love, grace, and redemption to those who feel forgotten, broken, or unwanted. Lord, keep his hands willing, his heart surrendered, and his eyes fixed on You, so that through every season, every encounter, and every circumstance, his life will bring glory to You by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ precious and powerful name, Amen.
Dear Hearers, thank you for your continued prayers and support as I do my best to: Pray, Hustle, Repeat. You are truly valued.
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My BeLoved, may the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen. In Christ Love, douglas. HE>i. pastord.blog
Special Note: I want to thank those who read what I write and are encouraged to support the ministry God has entrusted to me either one time or have decided to give on a monthly basis. I am encouraged to see certain verses playing out before my eyes like what is written in *Philippians 4:16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.*
To any who are interested, please feel free to reach out to me with prayer requests, questions, encouragement, or for information on how to come alongside me with financial support at pastord.blog@gmail.com or I do have a Zelle account associated with my phone number, 5202720387 last name Blaser. Thank you my Beloved for your ongoing prayers and support.
