I don’t know about you, but when I hear and see the bigger picture of the ministries and world we live in, it does make me feel that what I do is a little insignificant in the grand scheme of things. For example, when I heard Adrian & Sherene’s update about their ministry and environment in which they’re operating, I sat there thinking, “There are so many people out there who are hurting. What should I do about it? Is there anything I can actually do to help?”
As I was mulling over this, I felt the Lord remind of Adrian & Sherene 10-15 years ago. Now, I didn’t grow up with Adrian & Sherene, but I heard a lot of stories about them from Gabe, Ryan, and Andrew.
I heard that Adrian had no filter when he shared and kept things raw and real, gave people a safe place to talk about their deepest darkest secrets, drove long distances to visit youth living away from home in university, and that he didn’t kick out the kid that came to Overflow with drugs. I heard that Adrian & Sherene were very generous with their time and money, always had an open door to let people stay at their place, and even let Overflow paint their home.
I felt God highlight that we are seeing the growth and fruit of a ministry years in the making, but it all started with a couple of people showing the love of God to those around them, regardless of who they were or what they did. They just loved God and loved others, and that’s all we need to do.
We may not grow a global ministry or travel across the world to minister to refugees, but we can still minister (aka show love and kindness) to those around us. It could be our friends, new immigrants in our neighbourhood or workplace, kids that need encouragement, someone who needs a listening ear, and anyone we meet.
What we do may look insignificant in the moment, but we may not see the fruit of it until much later. In Adrian & Sherene’s case, what started as loving and caring for some youth has shaped those youth into many of the Lifespring family that we know and love today. I can think of quite a few who shared that through Adrian & Sherene, they grew, matured, and encountered God and His love.
When we show the kindness and love of God to those around us in big and small ways, regardless of how it impacts the world, we do make a difference in people’s lives and Christ is glorified and shown to them, and at the end of the day, that’s what really matters.