If you have lived for a decent amount of time in the Christian world you are probably acquainted with the idea of your ministry. If that is a new concept to you it is basically where God calls you to serve in the church. Some people may be called go on foreign missions, sharing the gospel, community service, teach and the list goes on.
In American protestant Christianity, the idea of your ministry is especially important. Contributing to your church and community is a kind of an extension of civic duty. The individual entering into ministry will find a very intentional and mechanized system. In a lot of ways, this is a good thing. The church has a need and the fulfillment of those needs benefits the whole. There is nothing wrong with that.
But I have become increasingly aware of something I have decided to call a Christian's “passive ministry.” Those regular, uncontrolled, interactions that you have no idea are happening. So outside of any type of control it’s almost funny.
Let me give you some context: I have been a runner for the majority of my life. On top of that, I am also obsessively habitual. Meaning that for about a decade now I have run the exact same one mile loop, never deviating from that path, everyday. I never thought much of that. I like running, it's a solid stress reliever and it keeps me healthy. What I didn’t recognize was that that running the same loop in a residential area might leave an impact on some people.
What I have been discovering slowly but over time is that I have had an impact on a number of people's lives by virtue of being consistent in my pass time.
About a month ago when on my run an older woman stopped me and asked “This is a strange question, but do you know Jesus?” I answered yes. She said she could tell by how faithful I am by my running. It was an extraordinary interaction, and I continued on my run.
And just a week ago, also on my run, a high schooler I had never met before ran up next to me and said “I know this is pretty strange but, I wanted to tell you that I have see you run for my entire life and I joined cross country because of you.” I later learned this guy was also Christian.
These are strangers I had never seen before but somehow, devoid of normal interaction and real conversation, they saw Christ in me. This motif has repeated itself in my life over and over again. By behaving honorably in normal everyday circumstances I can demonstrate love. I still can’t exactly wrap my mind around that, but it has left a lasting impression on me. I have come to the conclusion that the idea of a private life doesn't really exist as we would like to think of it and our ministry to the rest of the world never really stops.
