One of the laments I hear most often is that ministry to children, teens and their families is overwhelming. I’ve been working on our newest book (which should be available soon) about ministering to marginalized children. The enormity of the serious problems impacting children and teens in our world is truly overwhelming. There were days when I had to take breaks every hour to try and process the numbers I was finding in my research. If you are putting your heart and soul into your ministry, the enormity of the task can seem to be more than you can bear.
The best way I have found to keep the enormity of the tasks God has called me to do from becoming so overwhelming that I quit trying is to focus on the number one. Maybe you want to enhance what you are doing in your Bible class, but are overwhelmed with all of the suggestions we make. Don’t think about how many changes you still want to make, just focus on the one change you are going to make right now.
Perhaps there are things we suggest that you want to try, but they seem too difficult. Whether it’s mentoring your students, visiting them or praying for them all daily, it just feels too overwhelming, instead of not doing what you know will help help your students, start by doing it for just one student. Then add just one student at a time. Or one other Christian adult helping you reach one more student.
Maybe you have realized your Bible curriculum isn’t really teaching your students what they need to know or the activities are filling time rather than adding to learning. Instead of letting the idea that you need to change five things in every lesson or change thirteen lessons at once make you quit before you even start, just focus on making one positive change to one upcoming Bible lesson. Then slowly add changes and lessons over time.
The great thing about the power of one is that it is easily taught to help others, too. Are your Bible students overwhelmed following a Bible reading plan? Tell them to focus on reading just one verse or one chapter a day. Reading the Bible daily is a lot more likely to happen if they aren’t overwhelmed with the enormity of the task.
Perhaps you are encouraging the parents of your Bible students to be more intentional in their Christian parenting. Maybe you – or they – see lots of room for improvement. Don’t get overwhelmed or overwhelm them. Help them focus on one improvement or change they want to make at a time.
Making one change, doing the next right thing, reaching out to one student or family feels doable. It is doable. And it’s a lot more likely to get done. Just don’t forget to periodically add one more. Before long, you may realize you are able to do a lot more in ministry with God’s help than you ever thought possible.