Dear Christian, Go back to the World.

I once fell into a trap. A very dangerous cycle, one that was incredibly hard to escape, simply because of how “rewarding” I believed it was.

I thought: ‘if I continue, my riches would be great. My house in heaven would be huge. My life will finally turn around’.

So I gave it everything, my time, my energy, my effort.

Not out of genuine love, but because I saw it as an investment.

If I do this, God will give me this.

In fact, He will give me tenfold.

So I went all in.

I stopped going to uni, quit my job and gave my whole life to church. Morning prayers, night prayers, prayer chain, I was there. Every department? I joined it. Sunday to Sunday, I was present. I truly believed my reward was about to be spectacular.

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard what the Lord has in store for Ada” Oh yes!

People were about to be in awe of me.

Then on a random Tuesday, I received an email.

"Dear Ada Whitney, you have failed your 2nd year of university and are required to retake…"

Failed? 

Huh?

Surely not.

I concluded the devil was trying to play with my faith, so I prayed and prayed…

…and still had to retake the year.

Now let’s be honest. Yes, I had not revised at all. Yes, I only attended three lectures the whole year. Yes, I did not contribute to any group work.

But come on? I had been in church giving it my all, serving in my Father's house. How was I supposed to revise?

And shouldn't God just let me pass?

After everything I’ve done?

Was this my reward?

Sounds childish, right? And laughable? (In my defence I was 19 lol)

But I later realised I had used my service for God to compensate for my lack of discipline in every other area of my life.

No job.

No savings.

No clear direction.

And I was about to add ‘No degree’ to the list.

I was dedicated to church but not dedicated to anything else.

God is not asking for 100% church and 0% life. He is asking for 100% of you. In church and in the world.

We are sanctuary keepers in God's house, but our personal life needs a deep cleaning too.

You look disciplined in church. The moment you are asked to do something you do it, no questions asked.

But every promise you have made to yourself?

Broken.

Every goal?

Missed.

Every New Year resolution?

Postponed to the next year.

Being diligent in church while neglecting your life is not spiritual. It’s convenient.

I separated myself from the world completely. Cut off friends, stopped engaging with anything outside of church and became Mother Teresa herself.

I was fully dedicated to church.

Not God. Church.

Titles became my perishable crown, people became “souls", obedience my identity.

This was a result of my poor understanding of what it truly means to serve God.

I was convinced that church attendance was the metric used to measure my spirituality, so I abandoned real life responsibilities to ensure I was present.

And I myself reinforced it in others too. The moment I noticed someone coming to church less, my first question was "Where have you been?" Not “Are you okay?”.

There’s something I learnt from Martha.

We love to criticise her for being “distracted”, but if we’re honest, she represents a lot of us. She welcomed Jesus, honoured Him, loved Him.

She was just expressing it through activity.

“Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?” (Luke 10:40)

Let’s pause there.

Do you not care?

That line exposes everything. She thought her serving would secure His attention. That if she did enough, she would be seen.

And if we’re being honest…

Same. I used to serve expecting something in return.

Jesus responds, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed…” (Luke 10:41–42)

He wasn’t rejecting her service.

He was correcting her posture.

Being with Him is what fuels doing for Him. The goal is never less church. It's more of Him in every room of your life.

But some of us are not devoted to God. We just are addicted to feeling useful.

And sometimes, the way to break that addiction is by going back into real life. Sometimes being with Him looks like going back into the world He sent you to.

Go back to the world.

Your church life should be overflowing into your real life, not compensating for it.

Be diligent at work. Consistent in the gym. Start that course. Get a therapist if you need one. Rekindle with old friends.

Spirituality does not mean abandoning wisdom.

Some of the "demons" you are fighting are a direct result of your lack of discipline and autonomy.

It is easier to serve in church than to get your life in order.

It is easier to be told what to do than to think for yourself.

We have become so dependent on instruction that we no longer trust the voice God placed within us. Every decision has to go through someone else, not always out of honour, but because you have trained your intuition to sleep.

You trust the words of men more than the inner voice placed inside you by God.

Am I saying serving in church is wrong?

Not at all.

Am I telling you to abandon the church and focus solely on your personal calling?

Woe to me if I say that.

I am telling you to go and touch grass.

The most effective person in the room on Sunday is the one who showed up having already been faithful all week.

God has fully equipped you with everything you need for church and for your own life.

Your gifts, your passions, your natural inclinations, these are not random, they are direction.

God Himself came into the world (1 Timothy 1:15). He didn’t stay among the “perfect”, He moved among people.

And you were called to do the same.

Creation is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19) 

The world is not your enemy.

It is your assignment.

Through you God diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place, to those who are being saved and those who are PERISHING (2 Corinthians 2:14-15).

You were called to impact the world (2 Timothy 1:9).

There is a problem only you can solve.

A perspective only you carry.

A revelation of God only you can express.

You are the answer to someone’s prayer.

So why is only the church benefiting from you?

The world needs you.

Your mind.

Your creativity.

Your discipline.

Your presence.

The revelation of his complex and great beauty has been entrusted to us! Through us, angels and principalities are taught new things about God (Ephesians 3:10).

Why are you hiding?

You don’t need to have everything figured out.

You just need to trust that you are called…

and take the next step.

Start the business. Apply for the course. Post the video. Follow that burden in your heart.

The world is not waiting for perfect Christians.

It is waiting for present ones.

Dear Christian,

Go back to the world.