Don't Feel Guilty If You Don't Want To Participate

Causes. Ministries. Mission trips. Community events. The list goes on and on of good things we can be involved in and with.

Most of them are VERY good and worthwhile endeavors. They encourage. They help. They love on others. And they ask of us to be involved.

I think it’s easy to get involved. It’s easy because we can all too easily feel guilty if we don’t.

We can feel guilty for not helping those affected by the tornado.

We can feel guilty for not giving to that family or child in need.

We can feel guilty for not participating in the event that promotes and spreads information on cancer or sex trafficking.

We can feel guilty for not going down to clean the church on the weekend.

Guilty for not wanting to go on that missions trip.

But we shouldn’t.

God gives each one of us passions and natural “bents.” It’s okay to not feel comfortable or driven to good causes. You don’t have to WANT or desire to be involved simply because they are…good.

There are lots of good things out there. But not all of them are for us. God didn’t intend on us filling all the shoes for each one of them.

“For everything may be permissible, but not everything is beneficial.”

We can so easily get excited when we come back from the mission field that we think everyone should have to go and be where we were. But they don’t. Or at least, they might not in the same way.

And we can get so excited about the cause we are promoting for heart disease because we have been affected by it personally in our family. But not everyone has. Not everyone will have the same passion for it as we do – and it’s okay.

There are thousands and thousands of ministries, missions opportunities, and causes out there. There are plenty for us to be involved in. Not by guilt – but by choice. By our natural “bents” and passions for what is at stake or involved.

I may never want to go to Africa or Iraq. And that’s okay. It doesn’t mean that the missions trips I HAVE taken are inconsequential or don’t matter at all. They do. A lot. It just means that God may have me on a different course where He can use me best.

So let’s let Him use us in the BEST places.   And not feel guilty if we don’t want to participate in the rest. As long as we are participating and being used somewhere. Some place. Some place where God has lead us…..like a leash on our heart.

That’s right where we are meant to be.