Called
to Minister
“To
minister: To give aid or service. To minister: To tend to another
holding the space for their divinity and innocence to shine through.”
Laura
Berman Fortgang (The Little Book on Meaning)
Things seem to come in
clusters around here. One son is wearing a “storm-trooper” boot from
having fallen down his basement stairs. The other has bulging discs
in his neck, and will see a neurosurgeon today. I have
carpel-tunnel syndrome, and need to wear a hand brace all the time, and a good
friend just had surgery on her foot, and needs a care team to look after
her while she recovers. From time to time, we are called upon to be
ministers to one another. Some of us do it well, others would rather
not. Most of us have a very hard time allowing others to minister to
us.
There is a beautiful hymn
called “Will You Let Me Be Your Servant” that speaks of ministry:
“Will
you let me be your servant, let me be as
Christ to
you?
Pray that
I may have the strength to let you be
my servant
too.”
I don't know
why it is easier for many of us to take care of someone else, rather
than be taken care of, but I suspect it has something to do with
allowing ourselves to feel vulnerable and dependent. We seem to be
least among the animals in this area. Liza, my dog, has no trouble whatsoever with being ministered to. In fact, she demands it. And
when I fuss at her, she rolls on her back and exposes her soft
belly—that's true vulnerability. But, we humans sometimes make it
extremely difficult for someone else to take care of us. Perhaps we
are more concerned with our dignity than the other person's feelings.
“We are
Pilgrims on a journey, we are travelers
on a road.
We are
here to help each other, walk the mile
and bear
the load.”
We are all called to
minister to one another from time to time. And, we are equally called to
graciously receive another person's ministry at some juncture.
Perhaps, learning to receive, as well as to give, is a task our soul
is here to learn.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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