One day while training a new Special Gathering staff member, I asked him if he would clean up a mess left by our members in one of the Bible study classroomes.  Special Gathering is a ministry within the mentally challenged (intellectually disabled) community.  Our mission is evangelism and discipleship.  This new staff  told me, “I don’t clean up messes like this.  I’ve paid my dues.  I did that in my other job.  I don’t have to clean up other people’s garbage now.”  That was the wrong answer.  Obviously, he didn’t last long in Special Gathering.  One of the hallmarks of  ministry for Christ is that we  always “get to clean up the messes.”

It is true that when we take 200 members on a spiritual retreat for four days at Vero Beach, the Camp Agape directors have found that it is not a good stewardship of our time to be tied up for an hour or two in “mess fixing” the nasty bathroom accidents.   That is because during those times, other circumstances rise from the abyss; and that is when real emergencies seem to happen.  We’ve learned that many times emergencies can be averted by a simple word from a director.  Therefore, we ask people who feel it is a privilege to do this type of work.  (Yes, Martha, there are other people out there like you.)

In the life of Christ, I believe it isn’t the task that is important.  It is the attitude that dictates godliness.  That is true in all of our lives.  When our attitude becomes one of  true servanthood rather than haughty eliteness, God will bless us and it becomes a joy to be the servant of others.