Be Easy on Yourself

. . . though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. Psalm 37:24

Children are such precious beings. With each child we minister to, we build up a pillar for the future. What a privilege it is to serve them — but what an enormous responsibility it is, too! Because of the magnitude of our role and responsibilities toward children, we think we can’t afford to make mistakes; we can’t have lapses. And when we do, oh what a heavy burden we bear.

“I wish I could have done more….” “What I should have done is…” “I can’t forgive myself for….” At one point in your ministry, you must have said similar words. We repeat these words often in our mind, like a form of punishment. We keep condemning ourselves. Consequently, we feel discouraged and our work and relationships are affected too.

“I’m no good.” “I disappointed everyone.” “What does God think of me now?” You might think that you’re a failure. Dear friend, you are not. You are God’s workmanship and He is causing all things to work together for good (Romans 8:28) — for His glory. So forgive yourself. You may not have achieved the results you wanted but that is alright. God isn’t grading you on your performance. He is looking at your heart. In this circumstance, how are you trusting Him? Trust that God is sovereign. Though our mistakes may have terrible consequences, the consequences are not beyond God’s control and redemption.

PRAYER: Dear Father, You know how much I desire to help the children in my care. Help me to accept that I cannot help them all. Help me to acknowledge that You’re filling up gaps, tying loose ends, and bringing children to safer places.

This is an entry from Joanna Nicolas-Na from the book Encouraging Workers for Children, a unique devotional for workers for children, written by workers for children.

Encouraging Workers for Children: A Devotional features 180 entries written specifically for workers for children — child rights advocates, teachers, children and youth ministry workers, NGO workers, and others.

The book includes a foreword by Bishop Noel A. Pantoja, the National Director of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, and an introduction from Fe A. Foronda, the National Director of the Philippine Children’s Ministries Network.

You can buy this book at OMF Lit and Passages Bookshops and our online store for P375.