This weekend, my husband and I will be celebrating the first service of a new church we have helped plant.  With any new church plant, there are more things on the task list than there are people. We have been keenly aware and watchful of each other, so we do not fill up our calendars with an overabundance of volunteerism that will cause us to deplete our joy for serving God and his people.

My husband was recently asked to fill a Sunday leadership role, in addition to his current serving responsibilities. We had to take a step back and pray about it. It wasn’t long before we realized he would have to decline this position.

Eleven years ago this Fall we were at a crossroad. For ten years, my husband volunteered his time during the week and on weekends, ushering in our church. What this meant for me is, I sat through services without him by my side. I was beginning to notice spiritual depletion in him, as he was seldom able to give sermons his full attention while volunteering.   The problem of spiritual depletion is a delicate balancing act for many who serve in the church.

Coincidentally, I saw a notice in our church bulletin during this time, searching for couples interested in becoming pre-marriage mentors for the Marriage Ministry that caught my attention. I believe the Holy Spirit was giving my heart a nudge to suggest something to my husband that would allow us to volunteer together. My husband reluctantly agreed to give this marriage-mentoring thing a try. And, as they say, the rest is history. Marriage ministry, and helping couples develop Christ-centered marriages, is our passion in life.

By turning down the leadership role this week, it means it was important to him and to me, that we keep the focus of sitting together to worship God a high priority. We will, of course, be serving and helping in other capacities throughout the church, as we very much wish to do so. However, this balance is important to us, so we can focus on keeping God first in our lives - together.