Do you ever think of yourself as indispensable? In my head I tell myself that I’m not, but in practice I slip into thinking of the person to call, the e mail to write, the rearrangement to be made, that if I don’t do it, who will?
Having a couple of days of not being well last weekend, God reminded me about not being indispensable. It was hard staying away from church! Yet He is at work in all His people, His purposes to fulfil. As Ephesians 4 tells us, the work of ministry is for all the saints, not just a few. There are many with untapped gifts and potentials just waiting to be exercised. The key is to unlock them.
Sometimes I can justify feelings of indispensability under the guise of ‘responsibility’. I am responsible, therefore I am essential to the task. There is a subtle but important difference between the two.
Indispensability is about pride – of thinking of yourself as more important than you are. It is believing that no one else is going to do it like you do it, so I must keep on doing it! It is an easy trap to fall into.
Sometimes it’s like “there’s no one else to do what I have been doing”. Yet it is at those times when God sometimes does new things in a new way with new people. Even if there is someone else to do what you or I have been doing, they may well do it differently – and better! God sees more possibilities than we do. He is creative and adaptable (He adapted to our sin and creatively dealt with it!)
If we are not indispensable, does that mean we don’t need to get involved or we can simply leave everything to others? Absolutely not. We are all called as servants of the living God and we have vital roles to play. Our lives are short and there is an urgency as to what needs doing in God’s world.
The apostle Paul played a vital role, yet knew it was only for a time: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” (Philippians 1:21-24). He was ready to leave and be with Christ, yet he also wanted to complete what God had for him to do here for others.
So there is a line to walk. What we each do is significant and vital for God’s kingdom work, and we are to respond to God’s call with all our heart and soul – till we are called home. Yet to also know that God can and will work without us!