March 16, 2018 is a day that will go down as one of the worst days in UVA’s Men’s basketball team history. On that day, they became the first Number 1 seeded team in NCAA basketball tournament history to lose to a number 16 seed. It had never happened before that day and was no doubt a complete embarrassment as they lost to UMBC by 20 points.
Fast forward just over a year later to April 8, 2019. On that day, UVA’s men’s basketball team won the NCAA basketball tournament. It will go down as one of the greatest moments in their basketball team’s history! It was a remarkable turnaround for this team and it teaches us a valuable lesson.
So what does this mean? It means that redemption is possible in all walks of life. UVA’s men’s basketball team could have completely folded after they lost to UMBC, never to be heard from again. Big losses do that to teams and people. But they didn’t allow that to happen to them.
Ministry is no different. The reality is things may be in a bad place in your ministry. Things may not be going well at this moment. As bad as it may be at this moment, the great thing is, redemption is possible. Better yet, it’s not just possible, it CAN HAPPEN!
Here are two ways you can help turn a negative into redemption.
Take ownership and get yourself organized. Part of why things aren’t going well right now could be because of you. Honestly, it may stink to hear this but it is true. Anytime I have suffered setbacks in ministry, I’ve always had areas of weakness. That is why, when things are going poorly the first thing to do is take ownership of it and get yourself together. Reflect on what is going poorly and your role in it. Also, ask a few others who may know what is going on and seek to find out there thoughts on how you can improve.
Get your team organized. Things may be ok with you, but may not be ok with your team. If you are apart of a team, it is so important that you get unified and on the same page with each other again. These can be tough meetings to have. In the sports world they are the infamous “players only” meetings where everyone air their grievances. Get the team together, work out whatever it is that needs to be worked out and attack the ministry together again.
Conclusion:
Ministry is going to have its ups and downs. The up times are fun and exciting. The down times can be painful and extremely hard. However, it is those down times that can really define the outcome. Will you have a redemption moment like UVA and come back stronger and better? Or will you allow it to wreck you and destroy any impact you can have? It will take some hard looks in the mirror and examination, but it is possible to have redemption. Take ownership of what is yours, get organized and get your team on the same page so that your impact can be great and those down times can turn to fun, positive times that will leave a lasting impact in the lives of so many. What do you think? How have you found redemption possible in your ministry? Share them below or on social media using #ymsidekick when you share. [mc4wp_form id="8855"]Want to learn digital tools to expand your reach in ministry? Join the Digital Bootcamp Facebook Group!
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