I've been bothered by something lately. I want to contribute to the church and to the society around me. Not in the form of money, but in the way of practical help. There are plenty of skills I have: administration, cleaning, teaching, social media, and so on. Yet I simply see no ways of helping out. Not only is there a lack of openings, I have a lack of availability.
This leads me to believe that perhaps now is not my time to be a leader. Maybe right now I'm called to be a follower. I want to be somebody that contributes. Perhaps at the moment I should instead be focused on receiving. I'm about to turn 22. That's still pretty young, and most people my age don't have much to give back. Rather, there are a lot of people and programs out there intended to give to me.
Right now, the best thing for me might simply be to be a layman. And if that's the case - as I believe it to be - then dangit, I'll be the best darn layman I can be.
What does being a layman look like to me? Here are some thoughts. Perhaps you, if you are a layman, could consider applying these to your own life.
This leads me to believe that perhaps now is not my time to be a leader. Maybe right now I'm called to be a follower. I want to be somebody that contributes. Perhaps at the moment I should instead be focused on receiving. I'm about to turn 22. That's still pretty young, and most people my age don't have much to give back. Rather, there are a lot of people and programs out there intended to give to me.
Right now, the best thing for me might simply be to be a layman. And if that's the case - as I believe it to be - then dangit, I'll be the best darn layman I can be.
What does being a layman look like to me? Here are some thoughts. Perhaps you, if you are a layman, could consider applying these to your own life.
- Attending church: this is the big one. If you're not going to church when you are capable of it, then you're not a layman in my eyes.
- Reading/studying the Bible: perhaps you have a complex Hebrew translation you spend an hour daily looking at. Or perhaps you use a devotional that takes about five minutes. Either way, get into the Word.
- Prayer
- Fellowship with other believers. The chat app on CC is good, but try to meet up with other Christians in real life if you can. Also, I need to work on this - greeting others during church service. It builds community, which is badly needed. If your church hosts some kind of fellowship event and it's something you would fit in at, consider going to it.
- Resisting sin
- Volunteering to help the church if something comes up that would work for you. I personally would want something not requiring tons of commitment, like a one-time event.