[NOTE: We had a heck of a weekend at KCC, and I'm exhausted! So I'm reposting this as a blast from the past! This originally saw the light of day on December 4th, 2006!  Enjoy!  - Louie]

Anyone who has been involved in a ministry for any length of time at all, ought to be able to relate to the title of this post.

Of course a lot of us wouldn’t want to actually admit it! But nevertheless you know. I do too.

Notice I didn’t say work. Almost all ministry is work, whether you get paid for doing it or not. Just ask the nursery volunteer who spent the worship service changing several poopy diaper whether they’ve been working or not! Or the guys painting the buildings, mowing the lawns, working with the Jr. High boys, etc., etc.

Trust me folks – it’s all work! And I believe that it’s supposed to be work, since God made us to work, and work is good!

I used the word chore on purpose, and am defining it not as work, but this way:

3.a hard or unpleasant task: Solving the problem was quite a chore. [Source: Dictionary.com]

There are times in all our lives when the ministry we love becomes a chore, an unpleasant task that we do out of a sense of commitment, not because I’m excited about it or want too.

You don’t hear much about this today, because we love to talk about the joys of ministry. I’ve sure done a lot of that myself, and everything I’ve said about it is true.

But that doesn’t mean the flip side of the coin isn’t true as well. Life almost everything in this fallen world there’s an upside and a downside to ministry too, and we might as well face it.

So, what should I do when I find that my ministry has become a chore?

Below are several choices I’ve seen people take through the years and my quick evaluation of them. Just remember I’ve chosen most of these myself at one time or another.

Moan, complain, whine, quit. As you can probably guess, I’m not recommending this one!

Whine, moan, complain – repeat! Oh, oh no! Let’s not do this – please! Or at least please don’t do it around me!

Complain, whine, moan, share your frustrations with God & others. This one’s better. Nothing like openness to help you get a fresh perspective, identify the problems, and then start again with a fresh outlook.

Put your head down and keep on pushing, while you moan, whine & complain to yourself! Ah – we’re arrived at my personal favorite. Honestly, I don’t recommend this one either.

I do think however, that all but the first alternative has some things we can learn from.

It’s okay to complain, in fact I don’t see how you can avoid it and remain human! Just keep it short and quickly move beyond it!

Obviously, or at least it ought to be obvious, sharing your feelings about your ministry with God and some trusted friends, Pastor, etc. is a great idea – do it!

I also think what I call putting your head down and continuing to push can be a great idea. But only if you’ve be sharing your problems with God and others! Otherwise it’s just another form of denial.

So the next time you feel like your ministry is a chore, just remember you aren’t alone. In fact I’d be willing to bet you’ve got more company that you could ever imagine.