Mark 12:30-31
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (NIV)

My family moved from Ashland to Richmond in the summer of my 7th-grade year. We had only lived in Ashland for a few years, but I had made friends at school and was very connected at my church. When we moved to Richmond, I had to start all of that from scratch. We visited a few different churches, but at one of those churches, I met Stuart and Regena Adams. (Some of you may know her as the bubbly lady who leads the Guest Experience team at our Richmond Campus.)

From the first moment I stepped into that church, Stuart and Regena began investing in me. They helped me connect to a group of friends. They helped me feel like an important part of the student ministry. And though it took some time, they eventually convinced me to start volunteering. It started with praying out loud in our small group. Then, I began helping lead some discussions within our group. They urged me to start helping out in the children’s ministry at the church. By the time I was in high school, I was leading worship in both our children’s and student ministry programs, and I was helping lead groups of students on trips. 

Stuart and Regena invested in me and showed me that as a follower of Jesus, I had a calling. Just like every follower of Jesus, I had been called to love God and serve others. Over the years, I have credited Stuart and Regena with my decision to pursue full-time ministry. And while they did “convince” me to volunteer, it was how they modeled this calling that truly inspired me to follow in their footsteps. Everything they did showed me that they loved God. And the way they led me, took time for me, and mentored me showed me their heart for people. To me, the story of Priscilla and Aquila could have easily been changed to the story of Stuart and Regena. Just like Apollos was invested in and trained up, I was poured into and led by Stuart and Regena.

We all have a calling to serve. I learned this when I was asked to serve alongside these two great leaders in middle school. They didn’t point to the nursery and say, “Go serve there.” They invited me to join them where they were already serving. Because of that intentional time spent serving together, our relationship grew, and they were able to speak into deeper parts of my life. (And ultimately, they helped me realize God was urging me to go into vocational ministry.) I am continually thankful for the time and energy they spent pouring into me. 

Tuesday’s Reflection

Have you realized your calling to love God and love people? Are you actively serving anywhere currently? And if so, who are you inviting to serve alongside you?