When do we get to do ministry?

Being in a church and hubby being on staff has its rewards and pains. Both the people who are rewards and the people who are pains keep our lives very interesting. Without both types of people I don't think I could call it "ministry". I could also call these people- The ones who Bless us and the ones that need us to Bless them.
Each week or sometimes each day there is someone who calls and has some kind of problem. Sometime it is something in the church that has hurt or upset them, and sometimes that problem is us. To be quite honest, It SUCKS some days. I get so tired of people and their "problems with us or the church". In my mind I am thinking.... there are starving children in the world, there are people who will not get up in the morning because they were sick and they died in the night, there are millions of people dying everyday from AIDS, and you are calling my house (or emailing) to talk about something ridiculous. GET A GRIP!!
I fuss and rant about this stuff driving me crazy. I asked Hubby,"When do we get to do Ministry?" "When do we get to go to church and just do what we love without all the crap on us? "

As I sat down this morning (after an exhausting morning at church yesterday) I was trying to figure out my emotions. And that question to my hubby popped back in my mind. (which is normally God...tapping me on the shoulder) "When do we get to do ministry?" I sat here feeling very defeated. Yah! (i told myself) When DO we get to do ministry? I am so tired of PEOPLE getting in my way. Don't they know that they are stopping US from doing MINISTRY?
(ok I am sure you can see where this is going)
And then it happened.... that DUH moment. Where God is probably sitting back waiting patiently for me to WAKE UP! All of those "rewards and pains" ARE our ministry. Dealing with and helping these people is what God has called us to.

Matthew 25:34-35 34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

The verse should include.. when I was upset, you listened. When I was happy, you laughed with me. When I was mad at you, you loved me. When I wanted to talk, you weren't in a hurry to go home. When I needed a friend, you were it.

God forgive me for not seeing ministry for what it is. Forgive me for being impatient with your people and not taking the time to recognize their needs and striving to help them. Forgive me for being selfish and for ever thinking that ministry was about me. Thank you for helping me to see that ministry is about Life. Both mine and the people around me. About living mine for you and doing anything I can to help others be able to make the same choice. Thank you for ministering to me this morning.