Two Phrases That Bother Me – Part II
Leading a small group in CFC is hard work. There have been many times that I wanted to quit, to throw in the towel, and wish that Jesus would come back right now. There are times when it is frustrating and things don’t go the way I expect. There are other times it is an absolute joy; when I love what I get to do. I see lives transformed and hearts on fire. I see people come alive spiritually and it makes it all worth it. Yet it bothers me when I hear the phrase “It’s hard but it’s worth it.”
Perhaps it is the order of the phrase. “It’s hard” … “but it’s worth it”. The focus is on the hardness and the difficulties of serving in a small group. Or maybe it is the way it’s often said, with a long sigh and a drawn out “hard” but with a quick “but it’s worth it” and a seemingly forced smile at the end. If serving was so hard, I would have thrown in the towel years ago. To me, the overarching emotion when thinking about leading and serving is joy. Yes, there are difficulties and trials, but all that pales compared to the joy of being a part of what God is doing.
I feel like this saying perpetuates an attitude and negative view of participating in leadership at our church. “You become a slave to CFC”, “You have no life”, “You’re grades will suffer and you’ll fail out”. Yes, there’s a commitment. I added up all the ‘extra responsibilities’ and time commitments I give my coservant. We meet twice a week for 2 hours and there is servants meeting on Saturday mornings. Usually Srvt’s mtg just comes at the cost of sleep (Who wakes up regularly at 8am anyways?) but if you count it, then it is 8.5 ‘extra’ hours a week. My freshman girl is on the club Ultimate Frisbee team. They practice twice a week for 3 hours and have games. I’m pretty sure the amortized time is close to 8 hours a week. If you want to be committed to something, it takes time. Any student athlete knows this. They sacrifice time and energy to be on the team. They pour their blood, sweat, and tears out for it. Why should serving the God of the universe be any different? When we think about serving, shouldn’t we be filled with joy and with an attitude of “I get to” do this? Serving is a joy though it has its ups and downs.