I did not always understand grammar and mechanics. For some reason, I could not grasp their concepts in the way they were being taught or explained; therefore, grammar and mechanics were my weaknesses and, if you know anything about writing, you know that grammar and mechanics can make or break your writing.

By the time I got to college, I knew I had a writing problem, but I did not know how to fix it. Thankfully, I did not have to figure out a solution because my advisor placed me in English 100, a.k.a. developmental English. At the time, I was a bit embarrassed because most of my peers were in English 101. However, while taking the course, I realized two things. One, the course was exactly what I needed.  Two, taking this course was one of the best things that had ever happened to me because I got the opportunity to really learn grammar and mechanics. Today, I can say that had I not gone back to learn the foundations, I would not be a decent writer. Ultimately, this course provided what I needed to develop and improve my writing.

As such, I cannot overemphasize the importance of having a good foundation to build every aspect of our lives upon, but more so our ministries and areas of service. Even Jesus talks about the importance of a good foundation.“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matthew 7:24-27). The difference in the outcome for these two men was the foundation each chose to build upon.  

So why am I talking about foundations? I am talking about foundations because I know of many people in ministry who are doing their best to fulfill their purpose in God; however, because they have not been trained or developed, they feel insecure and inadequate, even though they are serving in important roles. The reason? They are missing the foundational knowledge and skills required to be effective in their area of ministry. My encouragement, therefore, to those in this situation is to go back and take those foundational courses and or training they need to be effective in their ministry and roles.

Now, I do understand that it may be a bit embarrassing for, let’s say, a leader to be taking leadership 101 because I was embarrassed at first to take English 100. I guess you could say my pride was hurt. But trust me, the embarrassment fades when the pieces of the puzzle that you have been missing start to come together, and you realize that what you are learning is exactly what you need to thrive in your ministry. This is also applicable to other areas in life. If you feel that you are not fully prepared to be effective in a current role, go and get the proper training you need, for your outcome or success will be determined by the foundation you choose to build on.