Commissioning you

There was a commissioning service at church this morning. A group of middle schoolers are going to a service project about an hour away to serve local families. The high schoolers are going to Puerto Rico to work with a mission organization there. Our oldest two boys will be on this trip.


It's always exciting to see the kids lined up in the front of the church and to surround them in prayer. Prayers were also sent up for the parents, some of whom are scared to send their kids off on a trip such as this, others can't wait to have a week to themselves. I guess I fall somewhere in the middle. I don't sit around trying to come up with ways to get the kids out of the house, but I'm not scared to send them off, either. A mother who was considering a local service project for her son recently asked me how I can be so at peace sending my children away from home. My response was actually to quote someone else who said, "Sure, something could happen. But bad things could happen to my child anywhere at anytime. While I pray that nothing does happen, it gives me great peace and joy to know that my child is wholeheartedly serving the Lord."

While I enjoyed the commissioning service this morning, and appreciated the prayer that the Good Doctor led for the teams, a thought came to me that made me slightly uncomfortable. During the prayer, the phrase, "we commission you for service to the Lord" was spoken. As I heard those words, my mind immediately went to my daughter, who has never yet participated in one of these summer teams because she has spent her time working in local theaters. What occurred to me is that there are many people sitting in the seats who are in daily service to the Lord, yet receive no commissioning service just because they do not join a so-called missions team. Anyone using 100% of their gifts for the Lord is serving in his or her mission field.

Don't get me wrong. I completely understand why we do not hold church-wide commissioning services for every single person serving God. However, I also know that there are a lot of people who hold to the misconception that they have never really served because they've never left the country, or they've never been part of a team.

So I asked myself how I can help individuals realize the value of their service, whatever and wherever that may be. How can I, or we as a family, commission people we know, to validate the God-given work they are doing? Recently, when the Good Doctor is asked to officiate a wedding ceremony for a Christian couple, he has approached it as a commissioning service of sorts. The bride and groom will continue to serve using their individual gifts, but now they will also combine the gifts that God has given them to serve in a more unique way. I like this. My mind has me brainstorming other ways of commissioning my family; as the children head off to high school in the fall, as they work at after school jobs, as they participate in team sports.

For today, I wrote my daughter a note.

As she goes off to two weeks of theater camp and continues to perform in The Sound of Music, I reminded her that God has given her talent in the performing arts for a reason. Giving any less than 100% in every aspect of camp would mean that she is neglecting her service to the Creator who created her to create. If she uses her gifts at all times, then everything else is in God's hands. There is much peace and joy in that. She is also to serve everyone with whom she comes in contact and to encourage those who need encouragement. I commissioned her for this service to the Lord. (My apologies to every person of the cloth who thinks I took your job. Someone had to do it and you were already busy commissioning others.)

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."

And for everyone else, in whatever you do, I commission you for service to the Lord (whether a lay person, and a pastor's wife at that, is allowed to do so or not). Consider yourself commissioned. Now go.