Social reform or word ministry? A thought [yes, just one]

Something I've been worrying about in the last few months is how I ought to choose the projects that I spend my time on. The difficulty comes in choosing between projects which focus on social reform or projects which are word ministries, e.g. Habitat for Humanity versus serving as a Bible Study leader at church.

Not that there is a real divide between things. On one hand, everything we do as Christians is ministry. On another, as people hear the gospel, they are (socially) reformed.

But my concern was about discerning where I'd be most effective. I've been told before that I have gifts that should be used in word ministry. Having dropped nearly all the ministries I was involved with this year, I started doubting if this had been a wise choice. Surely, the only true lasting change one can effect on this earth is to be a part of leading someone to Christ?

So, at this point in time where I find myself with two big social reform projects for the year, I feel slightly guilty. [okay, I know that the phrases 'word ministry' and 'social reform' have been repeated ad nauseum to this point, but I can't think of other ways to describe them.]

Am I doing the wrong thing? Am I 'wasting' my time and gifts? Should I rather drop these projects and go back to my ministries? I wasn't sure, because I believe that God uses our gifts, likes, preferences, passions to guide us in the ministries we should be involved in, and my heart is definitely for projects that focussed more on social reform.

Worried, I talked to Princess Sarah about this, and then she said the most illuminating thing that has eased my guilt-flecked conscience: that knowing Jesus has resulted in my love and passion for people and social reform. If it is Him that has brought about this change, then I should not worry about whether I'm doing the 'right' thing or not.