Mother Theresa lay nearly comatose.
Those around her were quietly whispering and praying. Just a few years prior she had heard the words of Jesus say to her, “I Thirst.” She responded to that call in an all out effort to love the poor. It took longer than she would have liked, but she was dedicated to working through the system. Just a year prior she was finally released to minister to the least of these. In America, we have not really experienced the type of poverty that she saw over the course of that year. These people were truly destitute and without love and care, they were doomed to die a very painful death. She loved these men and women because she saw them as Jesus in a dreadful disguise. Day and night she hugged, she prayed, she fed, she nursed, and did whatever it took to show the love of Jesus to them. But now that all appeared to be coming to an end. Would Jesus call her out of teaching to only last one year among India’s poor?
Her story obviously did not end there, she recovered and went on to show love to millions of the world’s poor. Not only them, but millions of others, as her legacy continues to touch lives. Unfortunately, her story is also not uncommon. The road of ministry is littered with the souls of men and women who started strong and had a deep love and passion for God, but they were taken out by the enemy.
This taking out might be physical, mental, Spiritual, or social. The Poverty Warrior must train themselves to constantly be learning and growing, so they are ministering and loving out of the overflow of their abundance. You may often feel depleted.
Feeling depleted is not a sign of weakness, but an indication that you must take self care seriously. Personal discipline will empower you to better serve those in poverty.
Luke 2:52
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Many who read that the meek shall inherit the earth mistake the word meek with the similar sounding word, weak. Meek is more accurately defined as strength under control. This is what is often referred to as discipline. Yes, I can jump out of bed, get dressed, stick a piece of gum in my mouth and shave on my way to work and make it there in less than 45 minutes (I live 35 minutes from work.) In an emergency that might be ok and needed. However, if I live my entire life in emergency mode I will lack the energy to continue to make wise, effective, and compassionate decisions. Multiply out this loss of energy by the fact that the reason I had to sleep to the last minute is that I stayed up late watching some less than edifying movies filled with violence or endless social media scrolling. It will not be long before my health will plumet as well.
Discipline says that I have the power to eat whatever, but I choose the healthy option. I choose to go to bed at a reasonable hour. I choose to wake up early and pray, read my Bible, and meditate on His Word. I choose to exercise my body and care for my family. These are some of the disciplines that will empower me to serve for a very long time.
Added to that is that in ministry there is a compounding impact of our work. If I love three people well, serving them as the Spirit leads; then if they also do the same with three people, then my true impact was nine. If I last long enough, I will see an impact of changing entire communities but to do that, I must last.
The bottom line, my Poverty Warrior friend, is that you cannot help the poor if you are emotionally drained, physically sick, Spiritually destitute, or if you are socially isolated. Your desire to help is commendable. This series is designed to help you stay in the fight and to overcome the burnout that is so prevalent in our ministry and make a difference.
