To paraphrase Rick Warren: Your ministry is not about you.

It would be easy to think just the opposite. It gets confusing, especially when we hear people ask us, "How is your ministry going?" or "I appreciate your ministry to children so much."

And while we are Jesus' disciples and co-laborers with Him, it really is not supposed to be about us. But we sometimes start thinking that way. And really, who could blame us?

Your ministry is a gift to God, and a gift to the kids who receive God's love through you. It also, at times, blesses you. You give, and yet you receive—fulfillment, awareness of God's presence, His very real help as you face the struggles and challenges of ministry. But really, ministry is meant to point others (those we minister to, and those who simply see us doing it) toward God, not toward us.

One of my favorite verses is one that is repeated through the Scriptures, like the hook in a pop song. "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love" ...