One of the greatest privileges of ministry is that we get to carry hope into some of the darkest places in the world. We sit with the grieving, encourage the weary, pray for the hurting, and remind people that God has not forgotten them. We become witnesses to His faithfulness and messengers of His love.
But there is a subtle danger that often accompanies a life of service. We can become so focused on bringing hope to others that we forget our own need for that same hope.
The challenges of ministry are real. The weight of others’ stories, the disappointments, the unanswered prayers, the setbacks, the long seasons of faithful labor that seem to produce little visible fruit, all of these can quietly take their toll on our souls. The effects of the spiritual battle on our own hearts, lives, and families can be overwhelming. Sometimes we ignore our own brokenness because there is always someone whose pain seems greater than ours. We tell ourselves that our struggles are insignificant compared to those we serve. But God never asks us to minimize or ignore our wounds simply because we are serving others who are wounded.
The truth is that hope is not merely something we deliver; it is something we must continually receive ourselves. In Lamentations 3, Jeremiah writes from a place of profound grief. Jerusalem has been destroyed. God’s people are suffering. Earlier in the chapter, he pours out his anguish and despair. Yet in the middle of that darkness, he makes a deliberate choice: “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope.” Jeremiah reminds himself of God’s unfailing love, His compassion, and His faithfulness. The circumstances around him had not changed, but his focus had. Hope was found not in what he could see, but in who God had proven Himself to be. As ministry leaders, we must learn to do the same. Before we can offer hope to a hurting world, we must continually return to the hope we ourselves have received in Christ. Paul reminds us that God is “the God of hope” (Romans 15:13). Hope is not a resource we manufacture through determination or positivity. It is a gift that flows from God’s presence. If we are going to authentically carry hope to others, we must remain connected to its source ourselves.
Part of that connection comes from never losing the wonder of what Christ has done for us. I serve with a ministry that offers hope and restoration to survivors of sexual exploitation. Recently, at an event where I was sharing about the work that we do, a newer staff member remarked how they were surprised at how I never seem to get tired of speaking about our ministry, surprised at how my passion always seems so fresh. I’ll be honest and say I don’t know that I’m always passionate, energetic, and excited. There are days that are very long, very hard, that feel like I’m barely making it. But when I take a moment and reflect on the goodness of God, His heart for the women and children He has called us to, and the transformation I see in lives everyday, the word “wonder” comes to my mind. I never want to lose that wonder. It reminds me of a worship song that I love. “May we never lose our wonder, wide eyed and mystified, may we be just like a child, staring at the beauty of the King.”
The gospel is so much more than just the message we share; it is the reality we live in every day. We can become so familiar with the story of redemption that we stop marveling at it. Yet the same grace that saves a trafficking survivor, comforts a grieving parent, or restores a prodigal is the grace that meets us in our exhaustion, disappointment, and weakness.
When we lose our wonder, ministry can become a duty. When we regain our wonder, ministry becomes worship.
May we never forget what hope means for us personally. Let’s remember that Christ pursued us when we were lost, and His presence sustains us when we are weary. Let’s remember that His promises remain true when circumstances suggest otherwise. And let’s remember that our identity is not rooted in our effectiveness, productivity, or ability to help others. We are first and foremost beloved children of God who have received His hope.
The world does not need hope-givers who are running on empty. It needs men and women who have encountered the living Christ and continue to encounter Him daily. As we return again and again to the source of our hope, we discover that God is not only working through us, He is faithfully ministering to us as well.
May we never lose the wonder. May we never stop being amazed by grace. And may the hope we offer others always flow from a heart that is continually being renewed by the hope of Christ.
