servant. (Colossians 1.24-29)

"What gives being a servant dignity is the one whom you are serving."

This quote is from Dr. Mark Tolbert - seminary professor, former Atlanta Braves bat boy, and friend of one of the most faithful servants of our time, Dr. Buck Rusher.  

In his letter to believers living in Colosse, Paul wrote it this way:

"Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.  I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness - the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

"We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.  To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me."

Some days being a pastor's wife can be completely and totally unnerving. Some days being a mom of three kids can be completely and totally unnerving. Some days in my selfishness I lose sight of the truth, and lose sight of gratitude, and lose sight of all the beautiful reality of what my life is - and I decide for a second that it isn't fair that he gets to go to work and "do ministry" while I stay behind and taxi, wipe, answer, buy, referee, wipe, answer, taxi, buy and referee.  But as I think about Mrs. Pam serving Dr. Rusher, especially in this recent season of cancer pain and sickness, I realize that just as there was surely no difference at all between her serving him and her serving his body, there is surely no difference at all between me serving the Lord Jesus Christ and me serving his body - and that, ladies and gentlemen, is the church.  

I am a servant of the body of Christ... it may not be pretty every day, but what gives it dignity is not the nature of the service, but the One whom I am serving.  It's work - "labor," "struggling" - but when I give HIM my dreams, my pride, my passions, my exhaustion, and my ear - I have the confidence of working, yes, laboring, yes, struggling, yes - but with HIS energy, which SO POWERFULLY WORKS in me.  And this, friends, is how I don't lose it.

So to think that the wonderful mystery of "Christ in you" is still hidden from some in this age... to think of people in our community who do not yet know Him... to think of families who for generations have not had the Truth disclosed to them... Makes me want to do whatever it takes.  Knowing that anything we suffer in this life is for the sake of His body, and knowing that it will be work, yes, labor, yes, struggle, yes - but that HIS energy will POWERFULLY WORK in us - brings clarity to our calling, and to our newest task of planting and pastoring a new church campus for Central Baptist Church in north Jonesboro.

My role? Yeah, it will probably still include a lot of taxiing, answering, wiping, buying, and refereeing.  It will surely include a whole lot of loving - just being here for Dan and loving on him as he takes on all the new weight of responsibility.  I hope it includes some teaching - to be faithful to exercise the gifts He's given and not get totally out-of-shape academically.  But whatever it is, day to day, its large - not because of the size or significance of the role, but because of the sheer largeness of God.  Everywhere I look these days I'm reminded that God is writing a bigger story, and that I am not the leading character!  It is a message of restoration and redemption - spoken through broken people called families and churches - showing love to a broken world.  God is the context; God is the plot.  And my only dignity is found not in my role, but in this One whom I serve.