Many of us need and want a nugget of encouragement as we attempt to navigate life today. It can take a lot of energy and perseverance just to do the next right thing. Maybe there is something for you in this brief encouragement note that will be helpful.
(For those of you who are new, this encouragement note is published every other Monday morning. The sole intent is to encourage.)
(Unsplash - Artur Aldyrkhanov)
The List of Five
What I Do Not Regret
If I could start over, there are some situations I would like to handle differently. However, there are many decisions for which I have no regrets. The following are some of these:
The time spent reading Bible stories and praying with our children.
Reading good books that fed my mind and heart.
Apologizing to that elder decades ago for my wrongful attitude instead of continuing to justify myself.
Choosing to do what was right in the face of various temptations.
Moving to a house in another school district so that our younger daughter could go to a smaller school which fit her better.
Serving as a minister for over four decades. Yes, there was much pain but certainly much joy as well.
Time spent in prayer for my family, people within the congregations I served, and for numerous “impossible” situations.
Asking thoughtful questions about life, marriage, and parenting from those who were ahead of me in these areas. I am thankful for their willingness to share their habits, successes, and shortcomings.
Time spent playing with our grandchildren. This is an investment that will last.
Words, gestures of encouragement, and affirmation focused on others.
If This Were No Ordinary Day
Steve Jobs once said, “If today were the last day of your life, would you want to do what you are about to do today?” Simply asking this question before the day begins can help bring clarity.
So what would you do (or not do) if you knew this was the final day of your life?
I would tell my wife, my adult children (including my son-in-law), and my grandchildren that I loved them and cherished them.
I would like to be with them on my final day. I would like to smile at them and see them smile. I would like to experience a moment of joy with each one.
If I knew this were the last day of my life, I suspect I would have clarity about what I would not do. I doubt that I would worry about a future meeting, getting an upgrade on my phone, or what car I want to buy next. I probably would not mindlessly surf the Internet.
More than anything, I hope I would act with courage on my last day. Ambrose Redmoon said: “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” (Lance Witt, Replenish, p. 118)
I want to spend the day focusing on what is important, rather than surrendering to my fears.
This might be helpful:
Today, focus on what you know is important, instead of worrying about the uncertainties of the future.
Clarity and courage come as you focus on following Jesus today. Seek to align your activities in your exterior world with what you believe is important in your interior world.
Feed your capacity to remain calm by meditating on God’s love, power, and presence through his Spirit. These are powerful resources!
What Makes You Feel Worthwhile?
“Strangely, some of us respond to feeling exhausted and overwhelmed by vowing to work even harder and longer. It doesn’t help that our culture glorifies burnout as a measure of success and self-worth. The implicit message is that if we aren’t perpetually exhausted, we must not be doing enough.”
― Greg McKeown, Effortless: Make It Easy to Get the Right Things Done
Our culture often glorifies the person who is exhausted and works unbelievable hours. We may have conversations with some who seem to almost boast about their rigorous schedule. Some may even find delight in saying that they are “covered up” at work. Paul Tripp has written:
You can say “no” to anxiety because God’s presence and grace mean that you are never left to the limits of your own resources.
Two suggestions:
Give something valuable to another. Give them your full presence in a conversation, allowing them to experience you instead of mainly hearing about your accomplishments and activities. As a Christ-follower, you are allowing them to experience Christ-in-you.
If you want to really bless another, model something more than exhaustion. Why not model for them what a tired person does to rest, refresh, and renew himself/herself in the Lord?
Ministers: What Did We Sign Up For?
Ministry is not for the fainthearted or the thinned skinned. You get a front row seat to lots of pain, sin, and brokenness. You also get a front row seat to good works, moments of joy and God working through his church.
Serving congregations or people in any fashion, can be very painful. You get a front row seat to it all:
The slow death of a cancer patient.
The brokenness of a person whose spirit has been crushed by a self-centered, narcissistic spouse.
The hurtful, demoralizing comment made by the domineering church leader who attempts to bully any human being in his way.
The hard heartedness of one who refuses to forgive, while in the meantime relishing in Christ’s forgiveness for herself.
The complacency and worldliness of certain church members.
Ministry is often hard. However, in the midst of these difficulties, we can learn to rely on God (2 Cor. 1:9).
Ministry also carries with it great joy.
A congregation feeds and loves on hundreds of refugees from Afghanistan.
A Christian family adopts two little girls.
A family is baptized and is now experiencing a new community in Christ.
These joys are very real and have a way of refreshing our spirits.
Both pain and joy come to anyone who would serve a church. I don’t know what you “signed up for.” I do know the joy may be far greater than you might have imagined. The joy of ministry can be satisfying and sweet. However, you will also experience the pain of ministry. The pain can be far more intense than you ever imagined. In fact, you might wonder if you are able to endure this. (Note Paul’s line - “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure.” 2 Cor. 1:8.)
What might be helpful:
Rely on the Lord not on your ministry skill, expertise, or experience. The Lord can get you through the pain and will put the joy into perspective.
Have a few healthy friends who also serve the Lord in congregations. Support and encourage one another in times of pain and joy.
“Paying attention to my soul and my life with Jesus results in being less preoccupied with the stresses and pressures of ministry. Having a healthy soul may not change my outward circumstances, but it makes my heart soft toward people in spite of my circumstances.” (Lance Witt, Replenish, p. 170)
God calls for us to be a community for broken people. The church’s message matters a great deal, for the truth it proclaims is the precious, eternal message of the gospel. But the church’s “life together,” as Dietrich Bonhoeffer called it, matters just as much, for such a community is proof that the gospel still has power to transform people’s lives, to heal divisions and to provide a sense of belonging for rootless people. (Gerald L. Sittser, Water from a Deep Well, p. 69)
Resources
Stephen Miller, How to Become Calm in America, WSJ, November 15, 2021.
Tim Keller, “The Decline and Renewal of the American Church: Part 1 - The Decline of the Mainline.” (This is part 1 in a series of 4 articles.)
Don Hebbard, Healing Hurting Churches, 2021. I am about halfway through this book. It is very good and helpful.
I am slowly reading Gerald L. Sittser’s Water from a Deep Well. This is a rich book dealing with the history of spirituality. I read a few pages or an entire chapter each morning.
Each Thursday/Friday, I post about ten tweets especially for ministers and other believers as they anticipate Sunday. You can find me @jimmartin.
I serve as Vice President of Harding School of Theology, Memphis, Tennessee. You can find me at God-Hungry.org. You can find me on Facebook - @jim.martin. My e-mail address is: jmartin9669@gmail.com. Feel free to write. I would love to hear what is encouraging or helpful. — Jim Martin
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