Pushing Rope

I imagine there are few things that look funnier than watching me attempt to thread a needle. My fingers are clumsy, my coordination is not all that great, and my eyes keep crossing as I try to see what I'm doing! The problem is that thread pulls much easier than it pushes.

Similarly, think about a rope. In a tug-of-war, each team PULLS on the rope. Imagine how silly it would look if we pushed the rope instead! Pushing rope is a futile and worthless activity. Rope is meant to be pulled, not pushed. Getting a job done by pushing rope would be frustrating and would ultimately result in failure.

Many times, church-workers get the feeling they are just "pushing rope" as they try to work with and motivate people in their congregations. We constantly put opportunities for service and ministry in front of people. At first there seems to be some enthusiasm and desire for taking on the project, but it usually doesn't take very long before the project is stagnant and nothing is being done to pursue the objectives of that project.

Here's the point...It is impossible, useless, futile, and a waste of energy to push people into service or ministry if they don't already have a desire and passion to pursue those things because of their own personal convictions and relationship with God.

As a true disciple of Jesus, it is vital that I spend time in God's Word so it can pull me deeper into my relationship with Him. The result is that I DESIRE to be in ministry, I DESIRE to serve others, I have a PASSION to impact people's lives. Nobody is PUSHING me into ministry, I am instead being PULLED into ministry by God.

If I want to see someone succeed in ministry I MUST guide them into God's Word and allow them to mature and grow to the point that God is pulling them into ministry rather than me pushing them there.

If you are frustrated because nobody else seems to be helping or joining you in ministry, it is likely because they are not being PULLED by God's Word and His Spirit to do so. Maybe, instead of pushing people into ministry, start with spending some time mentoring them into a deeper and more mature relationship with Christ. With that you will get to see the difference between pushing rope and pulling it!