by Jeanne Zornes
Lessons for the Pooped-Out and Cooped-Up Helpers When asked about your ministry, does the term “zoo” come to mind? Do you feel like a monkey taunted by those outside your cage? Are you exhausted from attending to constant needs, like the elephant-keeper who daily forks hundreds of pounds of food “in” and the less-than-wonderful results “out”? Get renewed by a trip to the zoo — not the “We’re goin’ to the zoo-zoo-zoo” of the kids’ song, but one featuring famed Bible animals. With two possible exceptions (Balaam’s donkey in Numbers 22 and Satan in hissing-serpent form in Genesis 3), none of over a hundred creatures named in the Bible spoke “human.” But listening to them can help us overcome ministry burnout and frustration.
Kneel with a CAMEL “He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town ...” — Genesis 24:11 Admittedly ugly, camels can spit like a boor at a baseball game. They plod along through the desert for hundreds of miles, drawing nourishment from the fat in their humps. But when they get to a watering hole, there’s only one way to drink: kneeling. When you feel parched and frustrated in your helping role, do you emotionally spit, kick, bite, groan or bawl (as camels are known to do)? Or do you kneel for the refreshment of the Living Water? Make this your prayer when negatives overwhelm: “I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah” (Psalm 143:6).
Escape with the EAGLE “They will soar on wings like eagles ...”— Isaiah 40:31 Even eagles take breaks from the nest. They catch the wind with wings that can spread four to eight feet across, their feathers fanned like fingers, bent up at the tips. Part of the flight involves a food hunt for the open-mouthed crew back at the nest, but think of the fun of defying gravity! Feeling tired and forgotten? You’re not the first to say, “My way is hidden from the Lord” (Isaiah 40:27). Be aware of burnout’s signals. One helpful site: Hang on to the promise that God sees and cares: “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength ...” (Isaiah 40:31). Find a way to take a break.
Loosen Those LEECHES “The leech has two daughters. ‘Give! Give!’ they cry. ...” — Proverbs 30:15 This nasty critter bites into flesh with its disk-like suckers to feast on a victim’s blood. Instead of the better-known “medicinal leech,” this proverb specifies the “horse leech,” which caused great misery when it latched onto the tongue and nostrils of drinking horses. Don’t automatically slap this proverb on those who abuse the system. Look at the context. It’s sandwiched between two broad negatives: hypocrites (including those who “devour the poor,” verses 11-14), and the never-satisfied (grave, barren womb, dry land, and fire, verses 15-26). Examine yourself: Do you have a leechlike, demanding spirit? Could you live in poverty without your current job or social skills? Can you truly say, with Paul, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12)?
Do as the DONKEY “Untie it [a donkey’s colt] and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ tell him, ‘The Lord needs it.’” These four-legged hay-burners were the mass transit of early times. Who’d give a second thought to them? Except this donkey fulfilled Zechariah’s 500-years-earlier prophecy that Israel’s Messiah would come gently, on a donkey, not on a conqueror’s stallion. Note that the donkey didn’t sashay down the cloak-ridden path, saying “Look at me! I’m important!” He just did his donkey thing, fulfilling the Lord’s need. Do you get so caught up in your role of ministering to the needy that it becomes “all about me”? Does pride ride your saddle? In Mark’s gospel, Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem via donkey comes just seven verses after this pride-buster teaching: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant … For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43, 45).
Pet the PUPPIES “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”— Matthew 15:27 Forget modern Western culture’s pampered pups with their own boutiques and televised competitions. Common dogs of Bible times were disgusting, waste management experts, feeding on rubbish, corpses, and even their own vomit (Proverbs 26:11). No wonder very proper Jews contemptuously called the pagan Gentiles “dogs.” Enter the Son of God, ministering to the Jews, encountering a Canaanite woman who desperately sought healing for her Do you need to confess any contempt for people you serve? Can you genuinely pray for them, realizing that He loves them so much more than you do? Remember His heart: “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear” (Isaiah 59:1).
Adder to WORM The Lists: Have these analogies to Bible animals got you thinking? Check these Web sites for alphabetical animal lists: http://christianity.about.com/od/biblefactsandlists/qt/bibleanimals.htm |
