The struggles I faced whilst serving in church

My struggles

As a Christian teenager, I have gone through that stage of wondering what my purpose is. Do I just tag along with my parents and do what they do in church? Do I need to serve in the same ministry as them?

A few years back, I started serving in the children’s and music ministry. I wasn’t forced to serve, but I did feel a certain sense of obligation to follow my parents and serve in the ministries they were serving in.

I struggled so much when it came to my calling and purpose. There were times when I didn’t feel as though I was called to serve in that ministry and that I was doing it for the sake of being told to serve. I felt lost and empty. “God, what do you want me to do?” was the question I would ask myself every time I struggled. There were times when I just wanted to step down from that ministry and figure life out.

With Jeremiah 29:11 at the back of my head reminding me that God has a purpose for me, I was determined to believe that there was more to my purpose than what I was doing then.

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A new ministry

This brings me to my hobbies. I don’t know about you, but I love baking (obviously). It has always been a hobby of mine ever since I was a kid in primary school. I loved how I could bless my friends and family through homemade delicious sweet treats. In 2019, I started to think of another way I could share my passion for baking with others. That was when I created an Instagram account after my O’levels specifically for that purpose. Just a few weeks before creating the account, I was inspired to name the account “Bake to Bless”. I didn’t know how I came up with that name. But looking back, I believe God was the one who inspired me with that name. Since then, Bake to Bless has had the same purpose. To bless others through baked goods and stories.

Early on, I would just post photos of what I had baked without talking much about the journey or lesson learnt from it. Talking about God in my posts was something I didn’t do until I created my baking blog. It was then when I started to share more about how God used baking to teach and remind me of what He said in His word as well as use my posts to encourage others. This was my ministry. Reaching out to others using social media through my hobby. This is what I believe God has called me to do.

You may ask, how am I old enough to start a ministry? I am just a teenager with no authority or power. I guess this is the problem, we have been so used to the concept of ministries being something big in our churches that we forget about the whole point of a ministry. The ministry is acting on the great commission found in Acts 1:8. It doesn’t just need to be within the church. You can be the ministry by sharing the gospel with those around you.

In 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul said, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and purity.” As youth, we are not too young to be an example and spread the word to others. You can take that step of faith and ask God what his calling is for you in the future! In the meantime, that doesn’t mean you can’t share your faith with others or use your skills and hobbies to do likewise. Our mission is the same. To be disciples and share the word with others. But our calling will differ from person to person. Don’t lose hope. God will use you for His glory and has a beautiful plan for you.

I still serve in various ministries in church, however, that has not stopped me from starting my own ministry and calling from the Lord.

If you love music, use it to glorify God. If you love writing, write about His love. If you love talking, tell others about the word. There are many ways we can share the word with others. Don’t fear age. It is just a number. God has called all believers, regardless of age, to be light and make disciples of all nations.

Hope my story has blessed you in some way:)

Cheers,

Eleanor:)