A Secret Ministry Sin

I wish this wasn't a problem, but if I'm completely honest I'll admit that it's something that's completely eaten me up from time to time. As I've visited with others in ministry (both pastoral and collegiate) I know that I'm not alone. Many (most? all?) of us have dealt with this at one time or another and perhaps struggle with it regularly. What problem am I talking about? Getting caught up in ministry comparing!

Its development is simple enough - things in one or more areas don't seem to be going so well for our ministry, but it looks like someone else is absolutely crushing home runs there. I either begin to feel jealous and envious or I simply wallow in self-pity and feelings of inadequacy. Neither of those are where Christ wants me to be. At times in the past I've even felt like some other group was "the ministry Jesus loved." We were merely the one He tolerated.

This kind of ministry comparing is bad for a wide variety of reasons. First of all, it reveals that I'm finding my value and significance in the wrong place. A believer's worth needs to be found in one place only: full acceptance as a child of God because of the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. How the ministry goes should never be the measuring stick of how much (or even whether or not) God loves me!

Comparing also brings into question just whose kingdom I am trying to build. I'm sure none of us sets out to actually build our own kingdom, but maybe we're only 90% about His and unconsciously 10% about ours? If we were 100% about His Kingdom then we would be ecstatic when His Kingdom grew, even if it was due to someone else's efforts rather than our own.

Third, many of the measurables that stroke our ego and make us feel good may not really equal success at all! If you've been in ministry very long, you know this to be true. Things that seemed flawed or failed have often been used by God to bring about fruit. Certainly there's more to success than simply drawing a crowd.

Furthermore, the cliche that "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" rings very true here. It's easy to pick out one or more things that seem to be going well from a distance without knowing about everything else that's going on.

Finally, comparing tends to ignore one very important truth: that ministry is dealing with a different set of variables than you are! They have different strengths and weaknesses, different resources at their disposal and may be serving in a completely different environment.

As I was recently dealing with these same thoughts on varying levels, the Lord really hammered me as He brought to my mind the last few verses of John's gospel.

Jesus had just finished explaining to Peter the kind of death he would die (21:18-19). In response to this, Peter asks, "What about him?" Jesus' response rocks my world: "What is that to you?" BOOM! It doesn't matter what's going to happen to him! You, Peter, need to be faithful to what I've called YOU to do!

That really is the answer: to be faithful where YOU are to what God has called YOU to do. Rather than worry about what's going on somewhere else, make sure you're busy doing your part. Is faithfulness your measuring stick? Are you giving your all to the vision God has planted in your heart?

And when it comes to another ministry that seems to be doing well, is there anything you can learn from them? Is there a principle at work that would help you be even more faithful in following God's leading in your particular context?

Be careful not to get caught in the deadly trap of comparing your ministry with someone else's. It's a fruitless, sinful endeavor that will rob you of your joy and effectiveness in laboring for Christ and His Kingdom.