Melissa J. Alfaro is excited about the new opportunities that await her as a newly appointed member of the executive presbytery of the Assemblies of God. But she’s also making the most of the opportunities already on her plate.

From pastoring alongside her husband at El Tabernaculo Asambleas de Dios in Houston to speaking weekly into the lives of young women as the Girls Ministries director for the Texas Louisiana Hispanic District, how does she keep it all together?

“Balance is the key,” Alfaro says. “It’s not about taking every good door, but learning to discern the God doors in your life.”

Those God doors opened for her early in life. It was during a retreat for pastors’ kids at the age of 15 that Alfaro sensed God calling her into full-time ministry.

“I can still remember the pastor’s face in my mind,” she says. “As he called kids down to the altar that night, I said, ‘God, my life is Yours.’”

From that moment on, Alfaro’s life has been one adventure after another.

“God told me that night, ‘All you have to do is say yes; I’ll do the rest,’” she recalls.

And He has, although the path to where Alfaro is now has not been a straight line.

“It’s not about taking every good door, but learning to discern the God doors in your life.” — Melissa J. Alfaro

The first curve was when Alfaro entered education before focusing on ministry. She spent nearly 10 years working in the public school system as an ESL teacher and middle school ESL coordinator. It was during that time that God stretched her leadership muscles, preparing Alfaro for larger tasks ahead.

“I love to teach, coach other teachers, and anything concerning the aspects of school leadership fascinate me.”

That education background now extends into her ministry. Leading leaders is often about educating them, according to Alfaro. But it’s also about journeying with them.

One of the biggest obstacles Alfaro sees facing ministers today is burnout. She says there is an inherent danger in trying to take on too much. She experienced this early on as a newlywed, juggling grad school and a full-time job while also staying busy in the church.

“In leadership, there’s a temptation to keep going to the point of burnout,” Alfaro says. “We need to lean into God and His strength.”

Despite the demands of ministry, it’s crucial for church leaders to model balanced living, she says.

“We can’t cultivate a habit in others that isn’t already in us,” Alfaro says.

Leaning into God and letting Him set the pace not only helps leaders steer clear of frustration and burnout, it also aligns them with God’s true path for their lives, she says.

Wherever God leads Alfaro in her ministry and professional life, she always returns to that moment in her teenage years when He invited Alfaro to say “yes” to Him.

“There has to be a ‘yes’ in your voice,” she says. “If not, then you’re limiting what He wants to do.”

This article originally appeared in the March/April 2018 edition of Influence magazine.