Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Three Cheers for Combat Support!

Note to Email Subscribers: This version differs slightly from the one you received via email as the feed burner sent it out before it was finalized.

I remember in the military being told that it took something like seven people working in the rear to keep one person on the front lines. I was a scout and my job was to push ahead of the unit, sometimes behind enemy lines, and either call in the needed assets, or direct our commander about what the enemy was doing so he could move units around and respond appropriately. While my position, in a Cavalry unit, was the glamorous one (you should see a picture of me in my black Stetson with the crossed Cav sabers on it!), my ability to do my job would have been nonexistent without the countless men and women in the rear fixing the Hummers, keeping the radios working, moving supplies and fuel forward, collecting information and processing and disseminating it, making the vehicles and uniforms and weapons and night vision gear, etc.

With that said, I wanted to give a shout out to all the people who work behind the scenes of Christian ministry and make what is visible happen! We are in a spiritual war, and it is a critical battle with eternal consequences! We have our pastors, our evangelists, our Bible study leaders, our worship leaders, our authors, our speakers, our radio personalities, etc., and they get a tremendous amount of visibility. But, taking nothing away from them, here's a toast with a good cup of coffee to all those who quietly make those things possible, and who quietly serve the Lord with little or no recognition.

Where would we be without the faithful wife who raises her children to love the Lord, and considers this and taking care of her home and husband a noble calling in the face of cries to be independent and make her own life, following her own goals? What church would survive without the faithful who give, serve, attend, witness to their neighbors and coworkers, weed the grounds, pick up the trash, etc.? What about the faithful editors and friends who polished the book you read, or the movie you watched, but whose names are a tiny mention in the credits or acknowledgments? What about all the people who faithfully taught Children's Church, and witnessed to others, and held others accountable—who seeded into the lives of the pastors and authors and personalities whose names are more recognized than others? All these people, as well as the elementary school teacher, the quiet car mechanic, and the coffee shop barista, are in the spiritual war just as much as the "visible" people, because the spiritual realm doesn't recognize "lines" like we do, and it is active all around all of us.

It is such an honor to be in the body of Christ. What a tremendous praise I give to those who are quietly faithful in their daily calling to follow Him, serving, walking in faith, with their only recognition being one day in the future when they hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Your jobs are critical, and you are amazing, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart! Don't ever buy the lie from the pit of hell that you are any less amazing, or valuable, or that you are making any less eternal difference, than someone else whose name is more recognized than yours, or who is in a position where they are maybe seeing more "fruit." Every person in those positions is there because countless other people, whose names will never be known this side of Heaven, made it possible.

4 comments:

  1. Note to Email Subscribers: This version differs slightly from the one you received via email as the feed burner sent it out before it was finalized.

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  2. Well said, people may not recognize these people on earth, but they are celebrities in heaven:)

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  3. Thanks Pearl. Thanks Toyin. (Both of these ladies have blogs, by the way, I would really recommend reading.) This post was very dear to my heart as I see so many people robbed by the enemy when they are doing such a beautiful work for the Lord in their humble calling and place and the enemy weasels his way into their hearts and convinces them they aren't important. I know, for example, that when we had our girls it pulled Mary Ann out of a lot of other ministry, but I couldn't do what I do without her, and I can't imagine a higher calling for Him than she is doing teaching and leading our girls. God bless you both. Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to comment.

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