Inflated

A companion on my spiritual journey asked me to come up with an analogy for ministry. I had several; but one that we dove deeper into went like this:

Ministry is like air in a tire. (simple, but easy to understand!)

The air in our tires is something that is necessary. Without air in our tires, we would cause damage to the rims, possibly other parts of the vehicle (car, bike, whatever). And so we need to pay attention to the air in our tires.

Most days, everything is fine. Nothing needs to be done - but a quick glance is a good thing.

But sometimes, we start to notice the air is getting a bit low. We can get by, it's just a little low, but if we don’t do something we might get into trouble. And there's an easy remedy, that we can attend to ourselves. 

Sometimes we notice the air is very low—and that means there’s imminent challenges and potential damages unless we take action fast.

Sometimes a tire can be too inflated, causing the tire to stretch in unhealthy and unhelpful ways—a different type of damage.

Sometimes, a sharp obstacle or pothole can cause a tire to just blow out unexpectedly - certainly something we need help with!

To be sure, a slow leak is more common, and more fixable, but you never know what is on the road ahead, and you can’t always avoid hazards, and who knows what inner, unseen stresses may be causing some weakness. Beware the hidden potholes!

A flat tire is unhelpful for the journey.

A flat ministry is also unhelpful for the journey.

Ministry is like the air in the tires—it needs to be checked on a regular basis. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it needs a bit of a top up, sometimes it needs some immediate attention to prevent irreparable damage, sometimes damage can happen when we least expect it. Sometimes we can address concerns on our own, sometimes we benefit from involving others. 

But the air in the tires, of our ministry, should always be checked as part of the journey.

May our ministry be examined and maintained like our tires are, and repaired when necessary, to ensure that the journey goes as smoothly as possible.

What is your analogy for ministry?