The past couple of years, from an artistic discovery standpoint, have been great. I’ve been serving as our church’s creative arts director and I’ve had my hands on communications, film/editing, photography, music, stage/lighting, and graphic design. Needless to say, it has been a huge dream fulfilled as a creative. I was blessed to serve in ministry, while making a living doing something I love.
Oh…but alas…with most great things, there’s almost always a downside. For me, the sole purpose of why I got into ministry in the first place took a back seat to my being stage manager and highly task driven.
People!
Nurturing relationships and engaging in people became secondary to the fast paced reality I was in. Viewing life behind the lens of a camera and spending many more hours cutting film, while clicking the opacity levels on graphic work and coordinating lighting sequences with music became my week in and week out. I didn’t have time for people anymore. Sure, I had my occasional meets up with my closest of friends and random conversations with community leaders, but those were few and far between.
So, it goes without saying, that I’m elated and ecstatic for my new assignment, which begins next Sunday. I’ll be serving, for the next year (before heading out to plant our church in Long Beach), as NLC’s interim campus pastor. I get to focus on people again. I get to live out the realities of why I got into ministry in the first place. I get to engage and embrace others again.
With that said, I began thinking about compassion and love. Ministry is all about that. It’s about being able to care for folks in and out of seasons, through the good and the bad. And this is what I look forward to getting back to doing.
Below are five easy ways to practically show compassion and love toward others:
1. You show love by sticking with someone through tough times.
2. You show love by adjusting to others.
3. You show love by reaching beyond your comfort zones.
4. You show love by offering encouraging words.
5. You show love by putting their needs above your needs.
How about you? What are some ways you show compassion and love toward others?
Let’s talk.
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