My Most Humiliating Ministry Experience

I was so excited about a new opportunity to teach a women’s Bible study at three local Christian schools.  Each school hit the ground running to help facilitate things on their end.  They assigned one staff member as the organizer of the new study, and two of the three schools designated key volunteers to help advertise and bring awareness to their campus parents.

The first session at two of the schools was amazing!  More women showed up than anticipated, and we had a great time studying God’s Word together.  You can imagine my excitement heading to the third school, given that they were the largest of the three schools with nearly triple the enrollment.

When I arrived, I set up the large classroom assigned to me and prepared for the onslaught of women I expected.  To my disappointment, only four showed up, including the appointed staff member.  I led the Bible study, packed up my things afterward, and hoped for a better turnout the next time.

But things went from bad to worse.  After arriving for the second session, I waited in the classroom, watching the clock and looking out the window to see if anyone was coming.  My heart sank when the scheduled start time passed without a single person joining me, including the assigned staff member who was tied up elsewhere on campus.  I waited 20 more minutes, then packed up my things and headed to my car shamefully.

The third and final session was the most humiliating of them all.

When I arrived on campus for the third session of the Bible study, I was ushered into a small conference room with only a few chairs.  The school had reclaimed its large classroom, figuring the conference room was more than adequate for my study.  They were wrong.  It turns out I did not need any chairs because nobody showed up yet again.  I was so embarrassed.  When I left, I hung my head in shame and never returned there again.

All was not lost because I learned a valuable lesson from the humiliating experience.  I realized I was responsible for obeying God’s calling but not for producing its results.  Those elements are up to Jesus to determine and generate as He wishes.  It was a humbling lesson I will never forget!