“I would volunteer, but…”
Fill in the blank. We’ve all got reasons—and many of them are legit reasons—why we can’t volunteer or serve or get involved in a variety of things. If you’ve teetered on the edge of getting involved with the Care Center, then you may want to brace yourself. I’m about to give you a nice hard shove between your shoulder blades, sending you over the edge and into the world of uncomfortable-and-outside-your-comfort-zone volunteering. I want to address and challenge a few of the most popular reasons none of us can volunteer.
Ready? Here comes the shove.
1. “I don’t have enough time.”
Don’t hear me say that you should give an emphatic “YES!” to everything and burn yourself out. But I think as Christians we have a tendency to overbook ourselves with things that don’t matter as much for the sole purpose of appearing busy.
Allow me to use myself as an example. I have two young children that I’m home with full-time. I also work a part time job, have multiple regular writing deadlines, and serve on my church’s college ministry team. These are all wonderful things! It would be so easy to use these good things as an excuse to not share the Gospel on a regular basis or to remain silent about injustices taking place in my own city. I know this because I’ve done it.
We use one breath to monologue about how busy we are, and then in the next breath we binge-watch Netflix and scroll through social media for hours on end. My personal experience? My ability to do the things that truly matter changed drastically when I cut habitual time-wasting out of my life.
[click_to_tweet tweet=”My ability to do the things that truly matter changed drastically when I cut habitual time-wasting out of my life. ” quote=”My ability to do the things that truly matter changed drastically when I cut habitual time-wasting out of my life. “]
Can’t add one more thing to your plate? Pray about the unnecessary things you could take off your plate. By volunteering at GPCC, you’re given the opportunity to (1) minister to the needs of women and men in unplanned pregnancy; (2) stand up for the unborn; (3) fulfill the Great Commission by sharing the Gospel on a regular basis—which is the calling of every believer!
Binge-watching The Office on Netflix can’t hold a candle to that.
2. “Someone else can do it better than me.”
Alright Moses, let’s toss that feigned humility and remember that God gives us everything we need to step out in faith and obedience (2 Peter 1:3) and he uses the weak to make himself known (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).
I’ve had the thought “someone else can do it better” about nearly everything in my life: motherhood, wifehood, writing, peer advocacy, leadership roles…the list can go on forever. How grateful I am that God has given me the freedom to try (and fail!) at hard things.
Difficult situations develop our faith and make us more like Christ (James 1:2-4). What a privilege to do hard things and allow God to change and grow us!
3. “I would have no idea what to say to a client. I’d just mess it up.”
Yes, on your own, you probably would. But one of the exciting things about volunteering with the Care Center is that you’re never alone. We provide extensive training and help equip you for the types of situations you’ll encounter. Most importantly, God has a history of using the weaknesses and shortcomings of his people to make his name known for his glory.
I can’t count how many times I’ve stepped out of an advocacy room convinced that I just ruined multiple lives because I “didn’t say the right thing.” But I also can’t count the times that God worked in spite of my shortcomings. I’ve seen lives saved and lives changed. And I can say with confidence that it was always and only because of Christ.
Through constant prayer, practical preparation, and the power of the Holy Spirit, God can and will use you. Period.
There’s a place for you here
I know many of you really can’t volunteer—at least not in terms of being with clients—due to schedules or any number of things. And that’s okay! We have many other opportunities that allow you to serve for a designated period of time (for special events like the Walk or Benefit Dinner, for example) or even from home. (Shameless plug, I’m looking for writers to contribute to this blog on a monthly basis. Contact me if you’re interested!)
If you’re open to finding out how you can serve at the Care Center, you should sign up for our next Open House and check out our volunteer opportunities by clicking here. This is the first step to becoming a volunteer.
Looking back, I’m so grateful for the times people have pushed me to do difficult things. I’ve never once regretted taking that first uncomfortable and slightly frightening step through the doors of the Care Center.
And I’m willing to bet you won’t regret it either.
[click_to_tweet tweet=”I’ve never once regretted taking that first uncomfortable and slightly frightening step through the doors of the Care Center. And I’m willing to bet you won’t regret it either.” quote=”I’ve never once regretted taking that first uncomfortable and slightly frightening step through the doors of the Care Center. And I’m willing to bet you won’t regret it either.”]
So there it is. I’ve shoved you. You’re over the edge. But the good news is, you have a parachute. The drop is terrifying. But there’s a soft landing ahead. You can scream the entire way down, or keep your eyes open and enjoy the view that you never would have seen if you’d stayed clinging to the edge.
My advice? Enjoy the view. It’s worth it.
Mary Holloman is the Communications Coordinator at GPCC. You can find more of her work at maryholloman.com.