Six months have come and gone and just like that, half of my first year serving as the community-based area head is now over.
Serving in the GTA is most definitely a privilege and an honour but it can definitely feel very overwhelming at times. Despite the many victories we have won with God this year, I have found it personally challenging to pause and thank God for all the blessings He has given my household and I.
This in turn has also made it difficult for me to find the joys in service. Don’t get me wrong, I love whom I serve with and more importantly the God that I serve for, but when schedules start piling up and there are deadlines for events to be met, I can’t help but feel like service is more of a chore over a joyful offering of my time to God.
Regardless of feel this way, I knew in my heart to not lose hope. I also knew that God was calling me to prayer whenever these feelings would resurface. This problem has actually been one of the silent prayers of my heart for quite some time now. And just like the great and funny God that He is, God answered this prayer by meeting me where I was, at SHOUT.
Now if you don’t know what SHOUT is, it is a summer house training where all the area core leaders come together for five days. We listen to various talks, participate in different workshops and complete tasks around the house with our assigned groups. We are also challenged to grow as servant-leaders for our respective areas as well.
Reflecting back to the training now, this year’s SHOUT was unlike the rest. If you’ve heard about the previous SHOUT’s from before, you may have heard people throw around words such as: boot-camp, tiring, physically draining, emotional, and so on. But what made this SHOUT so special was that we had so much free time to spare.
At first, I was confused. During these moments where we had nothing in particular to do, I found myself itching to do something. Anything! Coming from such a busy and hectic area, I just couldn’t sit still and even felt guilty if I was just sitting around.
It wasn’t until the third day of SHOUT where I realized that God was actually gifting my household and I, rest. Now when I say “rest,” I do mean sleep (thank You, Lord!), but I am also referring to being at peace and finding joy in the little and subtle things too.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28
For months, I have been complaining to God asking for a break, a time-out, or even just a moment where I could just lay-low and catch my breath and here He was, giving it to me.. and my household!
Throughout the five days of SHOUT, especially during all the “rest” moments of the training, I have never laughed as much or enjoyed spending time with my co-missionaries and friends more than I did there. If there was free time, my household and I were either dancing (s/o to Tita Betina and Tito Josh for the hip-hop lessons), writing songs (s/o to the Ablaze-boys haha), or just spending quality time with one another. I truly felt the Holy Spirit working through us in these moments.
And even though there are technical things that must be done in service, it is also good for us to take time to rest. For it is in rest where we can re-charge and prepare ourselves to be 100% for the Lord.
Thank You, God for hearing my prayers and for answering them during your own perfect timing. In the moments where I may feel too stressed or overwhelmed, may I have the wisdom to know when to rest. I also want to thank You for giving my household and I time to relax and enjoy one another’s company during SHOUT. May our hearts grow in passion to serve you more faithfully and may worship you more joyfully through our words and our bodies.
Amen.
Danielle Lape