It takes discipline to love the person next to you. How many times have you been at a restaurant with someone and they pull out their phone at the table. This is becoming increasingly more common in our culture. But even with phones aside, it takes discipline to love the person you’re sitting with. We want to tell our stories, our minds wander to distractions, our watch reminds us of a meeting. I’m convinced the best ministry one can possibly do is to simply be present where the Lord has you.
With that in mind, having a plan to love the people we are about to see is a recipe for success. It’s so easy to walk into the office begrudgingly. But when you walk in excited to listen to your coworker’s story rather than accomplish your own task, that’s ministry. When you come home after a long day and laugh with your family, that’s ministry. So often our plan fails to include the people we’re surrounded with and they become the obstacle rather than the enhancement. We must plan better.
Which lands us squarely in the most difficult territory of all; the unexpected. I struggle with this one so much. If I’m not mentally prepared for something, I squirm in frustration and angst. So what’s the answer? Plan better. Plan margin. Plan interruption. When you look at the ministry of Jesus, the best moments happened in the coming and going. Could you imagine if he responded the way we so often do? The availability for interruption is ministry at its finest.