Take a little break these days in December and re-center yourself with these devotions from the Sunday| Mag contributors.
?I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.? (Philippians 4:11-13)
A couple of years ago I was serving in communications on staff at a church. Compared to 98% of churches in America, we had an abundance of resources. I had a print budget. I had a web and social media budget. I had a communications teammate, so I was able to work on projects with her. By all standards, I was well-resourced to do my job, and yet I still desired more.
I wanted to reach more people through our website and social media, so I requested more Facebook Ads budget and a bigger website budget to do a redesign.
I wanted to use higher quality images, so I requested more stock photo budget.
I wanted to communicate better through email, so I requested a bigger budget for our email provider.
And believe me, there was much more. Don?t get me wrong, though, these things are not necessarily wrong. Reaching more people is not wrong. Creating higher quality materials is not wrong. But I also needed to find the balance between wanting more and being content and joyful with what I had.
You may be in a similar situation. Maybe your church has an abundance of resources. But you?re always looking to improve the way your church communicates, and that may mean making bigger budget requests. If this is you, I would encourage you to be mindful of what you have. If you?re doing your job well, then you?ll make the most of what you have before you go to your boss asking for more money.
Maybe your church doesn?t even have a communications budget, and you?re just scratching and clawing for every last penny. If this is you, be encouraged. You can still communicate well and reach people with the free tools that are available today. Don?t have Photoshop? Use Canva.com. Need stock photos? Use Unsplash.com or Pixabay.com. Want to schedule social media posts? Use Hootsuite.com. Want to send better emails? Use Mailchimp.com. All of the tools I just mentioned are absolutely free or have free versions, and they will take your church communications to the next level.[quote]You can still communicate well and reach people with the free tools that are available today.[/quote]
The important thing to remember is that at a certain point you need to learn to be content with what you have and find your joy in Christ. Whether you?re seeking to communicate better for your church, or you?re doing your own personal budget at home, you need to find joy in Christ and Christ alone. Paul learned this lesson and wrote about it while he was in prison. If that?s not learning to be content and having joy, I don?t know what is. He learned that placing his faith in Christ was all he needed to do to be content and have joy. You need to learn the same thing as a follower of Jesus. Be joyful and content with what you have today, and have faith that God will take care of the rest.
