I love attending conferences and women’s events, but I hate sitting by myself. I am the ultimate extrovert so it bothers me more than you would think. As a pastor’s wife I have grown accustomed to being alone at large events. I play on my phone, sip on my coffee, read the entire program and pretend like I am perfectly fine in my little corner. I also have an annoying habit of getting everywhere early, mostly because I get lost the first time I go to a new place.
Last year, I was one of the speakers at a Christian women’s event. I didn’t know anyone at this event, except for the host who had invited me. As usual I got there early, so I asked if there was any way I could help. I was so grateful to be given the job of setting up drinks for people to grab as they arrived. This was literally the perfect station for me; I could make small talk with the other volunteers and meet the guests, all while smelling freshly brewed coffee.
My little extrovert heart was about to blow up with excitement because I would feel like I belonged in that room and didn’t simply have to sit alone. Unfortunately, the beautiful picture I had painted in my head of refreshment duty didn’t pan out. I remember seeing so many faces pass by me as they grabbed a drink from my table, but none looked up to actually see my face and only a handful even said thank you.
I sat alone and had no one to talk with other than the sweet host who checked on me.
Later that day after I spoke on stage, many women came to tell me how pretty I looked and how much my words blessed them, and some even wanted to connect with me later. I was happy and frustrated at the same time.
In both instances, I was serving the need that was placed in front of me, but we as humans tend to glorify those things that we feel are significant. We perceive the stage as significant, and not the lobby. In doing so, we have allowed celebrity culture to creep into the Church. I think we would all agree the mess Christian celebrity culture has made is devastating. Like most of you, I have played a role in this too. I have overlooked the ones pouring into my kids and honored only those with the microphone. I have craved friendships with those in positions of power and ignored the person in the parking lot standing in the heat with a huge smile, waving as I drove into the conference. I have been impressed by the pastors with large platforms and forgot the ones with smaller churches who faithfully make hospital visits and conduct weddings.
Elevating some people and exalting certain gifts within the body of Christ is not only damaging, but it is in direct opposition to the gospel message; we are responsible for demolishing that pattern of behavior before it destroys us.
I love how Apostle Paul compares the Church to the human body. In 1 Corinthians 12, he teaches that we are all part of the body and no one part is more important. We are interconnected and equally integral because we all have different functions within the body. “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (I Corinthians 12:27 NIV).
Our gifts work better together than alone because their purpose isn’t solely about us but about glorifying the Father and having His kingdom reign on earth through us.
Then Paul goes on to write the famous chapter on love. I don’t think that is coincidental. I think he understood that loving well will be hard for our human nature to grasp. We would need a picture of what it looks like to live out this call to love. So he offers the metaphor of functioning as one body using our differing gifts – void of celebrity culture — and that secret sauce is LOVE.
We need only to look to Jesus who is the evidence. Love personified.
Jesus chose to be born in a barn and not in a palace — to teach us that life isn’t about the size of our house, church, or bank account.
He chose to be friends with John the Baptist, who was weird in every way — to show us we don’t need to be friends with the most celebrated or influential person in the room to impact the world.
Jesus saw the little boy with the lunch at the outdoor service. He valued the widow with the small offering at church, and He spoke with the wealthy and wise Nicodemus. In God’s eyes, we are all the same.
The only way we can get rid of celebrity culture in the Church is if we see everyone who serves as significant. I was being the hands and feet of Jesus at the refreshment table just as much as I was on that stage sharing from God’s Word. No matter what work we do, our service for the Kingdom isn’t for worldly validation, but to be an offering of worship to God. So then our job is not to rate someone’s worship or worship them; our job is to worship God.
Thanks for sharing this! I’ve struggled with this for years, but God redeemed a negative experience I had at an old church and used it for good at my current church. We’ve created a human value system of sorts, where we rank importance of a serving role and the people in the role and their worthiness. Thanks for speaking truth and grace into this and bringing it to light! May your words help change hearts and minds and better the kingdom.
Amen! I am so glad you didn’t allow the hurt to create hate in you for The Church! Thank you for loving the Bride of Christ well!
Such wise insight! I recently had a grandmother share what her visiting grandkids had learned in my Sunday school class over a year ago. I was amazed at the energy that gave me to continue my mostly unseen service in the children’s area. Inspired me to also be more intentional with others & their “thankless” task doing. God’s choice of us makes us each a rock star!
Yess! I love “rock stars” and yes it takes intentionality like you mentioned.
Love this devotion! Thank you!
Thank YOU!
Simi,
What you’ve described here so well is something I detest (people respecting some at the expense of others)…and have been guilty of at times. I think this is one reason we’re called to “pray without ceasing.” If we’re in constant communication with the Spirit, he can gently convict us when we fall into the temptation of pedestalizing leaders. Thank you for sharing this to serve as a Spirit-led reminder to love well and always <3.
Yes, absolutely takes the power of the Holy Spirit to live and love this way!
Thank you for this, Simi. This is so true.
Thank YOU!
Your message, Simi, really opened my eyes and convicted me to be more aware and intentional towards those serving in the background. Thank you for sharing that wisdom.
I am so glad it spoke to you. Thank you!
Thank you Simi for illuminating this with your personal example.
Duly noted
We are always learning and growing into the image of Christ!
Everybody matters! Such wise insight, beautiful Simi. Thank you so much for this today. Peace and blessings, Patricia
Yess! Jesus died to save us but also to graft us together into a family- we all have a place at the table now!
So well said! Thank you.
Seeing with this perspective- could change not only the Church, but the world.
Amen! I am believing for it with you friend!
Sometimes some of the attraction towards people with the microphone is that we’ve heard some of their story – enough, maybe, to say “me, too!” – whereas we know zilch about a stranger behind a coffee table (at least, until we start asking questions). And sometimes we’re repelled by people with a microphone, again because we’ve heard enough out of their mouth to be confident they are *not* our jam (albeit often for wildly inadequate reasons).
But yeah: our worth is in God, and other peoples’ worth is also in God, and serving God faithfully is serving God faithfully whether the service is visible or invisible, “big” or “small” (at least in theory; God is still working on rooting out work-is-worth Protestant Work Ethic early training; so I’m stuck, sick, and not able to put much of anything solid into the collective soup pot). And “microphone or no microphone” would also be on that list of things that do not change our value.
Unrelated to the point of the devotional, though: In days of yore before I got stuck-in-bed sick, when I hosted events as an introvert, sometimes the socially-aware extroverts would ask for assignments – what they could help with – and sometimes they helped set up or brought foods like many other people… and other times I’d assign them to talk with people on the edges near the beginning of the party and introduce them to other people. (A few times, we had one or two people who really prefer watching parties to being *in* them, and in that case I got them out of the way while the extroverts were successfully mixing the rest of the room up.) I don’t know if “extrovert-powered mixing agent” might be a solution for lonely church conferences in the future or not… 🙂
Agreed! And I love your idea of using peoples gifts and personalities to the greatest impact for The Church!
We are the Body, and He is the head. We need to give ourselves encouragement sometimes. Instead of believing that we are invisible, we need to tell ourselves that the Body of Christ is not complete without us.
Amen! It isnt complete without each of us being present and using our God given gifts to edify eachother and glorify the father.
This is a fantastic message that needs to be heard by all multiple times. Thank you for speaking truth!
YES! I agree!!
Simi,
This post is spot on. I work in a large hospital ICU unit as a clerical. Most people only think about clinical people in a hospital. Literally it takes everyone working together to get the job done. I make it a point to thank EVS (housekeeping), Dietary (food service), Central Supply (supply stockers). Sure they are doing their job, but it is nice to receive encouragement now & then. It makes you want to do a better job.
At my small church we make it a point to thank everyone for their service. I feel my job is to encourage everyone & not to idolize anyone.
Blessings 🙂
Yes! Yes! I love that you live this out intentionally!