In and Out of Season
Wes Wick
Structure and Spontaneity: Let’s make room for both.
We all have different personality types. Some of us prefer lots of structure, while others at the opposite end seem to thrive in a mostly spontaneous approach to life.
Biblically we can make the point that God wants us to be open to both, but today let’s focus on the idea of being more spontaneous in our serving.
In Jesus’ Good Samaritan parable, the priest and Levite intentionally bypassed the robbed and beaten man. These religious men certainly needed more margin to see the need and respond in the moment.
Some people picture retirement mostly as a season to dim the serving light, or let it go out completely. Boy, are they missing out on the good stuff!
In 2 Timothy 4:2 Paul tells Timothy to be prepared in season and out of season. So much for arguing that our season determines our preparedness for serving. God wants us to be ready and willing in all seasons... even when it seems to be outside typical boundaries for our current life season.
As the legendary coach John Wooden pointed out: “When opportunity comes, it's too late to prepare.”
As your church, YES!, and other ministries take the time to structure serving opportunities, our heart is that all of us would become more available to on-the-spot opportunities the Lord puts before us.
Of course, this doesn’t mean saying yes to everything, but let’s continue to develop a readiness posture for special, God-ordained moments ahead.