Jim Martin's Encouragement Note #86
When you dare to do the right thing, not the easy thing . . . If you could see through another's eyes . . . The janitor with a mission . . . When ministry is painful . . . Etcetera (resources)
(Unsplash - Guzman Barquin)
The List of Five
Dare to Do the Right Thing, Not the Easy Thing
They have a front row seat.
Our children and grandchildren see us up close. They tend to see most everything. When I was a young father, I read a story regarding this that really caused me to think.
The author wrote about fishing trip he experienced, as a boy, that helped shape his character. His family had a cabin in New Hampshire overlooking a lake, where he and his dad sometimes fished. One particular trip took place the night before bass season opened.
Under the moon lit sky, the boy and his dad sat in their boat casting the shiny silver lure and then reeling it back in, again and again. At one point the boy cast and almost immediately after hitting the water, he felt a tug. The fish began to run and the boy slowly reeled until the fish was near the boat. The boy and his dad pulled the big fish out of the water and into the boat. It was a bass.
His dad struck a match and asked the boy for the time. The boy glanced at his watch and saw that it was 10:00 PM.
“Son, bass season is not open yet. You’ll have to throw him back in the water.” “But dad! the boy exclaimed, ‘it’s the biggest fish I’ve ever caught.’” His dad replied, “Son, it’s not bass season yet.”
The boy grew up and never did catch a bass quite that big. However, he never forgot that evening when he saw his dad do the right thing even when no one was looking.
Howard G. Hendricks, a former professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, once said, “You impress people from a distance. You impact people from up close.”
What are my children (or grandchildren) experiencing as they see me up close?
Do my children see that I take no short-cuts, even when others do?
Do my children see me do the right thing? Or, do they hear me say “Don’t tell your grandparents” or “Don’t worry. Everybody does it.”
Do my children see me put the fish back?
The good news: What your children and grandchildren see up close impacts them. If you really want to impact them for good, do the right thing. Do the right thing even when the issue may seem small and insignificant. Each time you do what you know is honorable, godly, or right you are impacting these children (and others) for good.
Maybe years later, they will remember a moment, a situation, or a challenge that will help them do the right thing. Perhaps they remember how you handled it. It could be they will be inspired to do the same.
(Note: I have long forgotten the source of the fish story above. The wording may be the exact wording in the magazine I read.)
If You Could See Through Another’s Eyes
It was a Saturday morning. My dad asked me if I wanted to go to the new library, the Pleasant Grove Branch of the Dallas Public Library. I had never been to a library before, other than the small library at our school.
Little did I know, I was about to enter a different world.
I looked through the shelves in the children’s library. I picked up a book, flipped through the pages and put it back. Then I came to a section labeled “biographies.” On the cover of each book were names I recognized. Abraham Lincoln. Babe Ruth. Thomas Edison. Amelia Earhart. Helen Keller. Clara Barton. Thomas Jefferson. There were books about so many people.
That day, I checked out five or six books, all biographies. I was captivated by these stories and spent hours getting lost in the lives of these people. My love for biographies has continued to this day.
Sometimes you and I can get bogged down in our own story. We can get overly focused on our pain, our discomforts, or even our quest for happiness. It’s not that these are unimportant. Rather, our lives can be reduced to our own experiences and our own opinions until we pay attention to little else.
Yet, it can be so helpful to be able to look at life through the eyes of another.
Robert Caro has written four volumes of his biography series of former President Lyndon Baines Johnson. (He is working on the fifth volume.) In his book, Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing, Caro writes about going to LBJ’s childhood home with Samuel Johnson, LBJ’s brother. (The United States Park Service allowed them special access to the home.) They went into the small dining room where Lyndon Johnson ate meals with his father and siblings. Caro asked Samuel Johnson to sit at the table like he would as a boy. He then asked Johnson to talk about the meals as he remembered them.
Rather than sit at the table, Caro stood to the side, trying to imagine these meals as he saw them through the eyes of Samuel Johnson (p. 106-107).
What if you and I were to imagine living in another’s world?
What was it like during the depression, for my daddy, in Granite, Oklahoma, to join his dad, mother, and two brothers for supper? What did he hear? How did he feel?
What is it like for my grandchild’s friend, a sixth grader, to experience her parents’ divorce? What questions does she have? How does she feel?
What is it like to lose your job and to be told, “We don’t need you anymore”? (My friend in North Alabama heard these very words one morning after working in a plant for over 20 years.)
Every day our stories are being lived out. What are others experiencing in my presence?
What is it like to experience my friendship or to experience me in my family?
Do I bring care, joy, or energy to my family or friends?
Do others find me to be on edge, picky, and easily offended?
Do others find me to be a blessing and even encouraging?
The Janitor With a Mission
There are some people who, regardless of the work they do, never forget their mission. Charles Clark inspires me. (I love the following video and story by Steve Hartman.)
When Ministry is Painful (Especially for Ministers and Other Church Leaders)
A stranger comes into town.
On Sunday, he and his entire family come into the assembly of your congregation. People are welcoming and friendly. The visiting family, who has recently moved into your community, seems pleasant. They soon begin to get involved in the life of the congregation.
Twenty-four months later, everything seems very different. You have been unfairly criticized and attacked by this family. Their e-mails point out your flaws and accuse you of impure motives. Their remarks feel deeply personal and are hurtful. Yes, this is just one family, but this has become a very, difficult situation to live with.
Ministry can be painful - very painful. Ministers know how deep this pain can be. You may feel betrayed or wronged in some way (2 Corinthians 7:5). Perhaps you read a post on social media that sickens you. It was written by someone in your church. There is a venom and a spirit in these words that violate everything you have been preaching for the last few years. You wonder if you are doing any good in your ministry.
Paul experienced in his ministry the following (2 Corinthians):
Suffering 1:5-6
Distress 1:6
Hardships 1:8
Living under great pressure 1:8
Despairing of life 1:8
Feeling the sentence of death 1:9
Deadly peril 1:10
You might read these words and think, “Why would anyone want to serve as a minister?” Paul even says, “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches” (11:28).
So what does a minister do?
Some rely on one or more of the following: their intelligence, their training, their experience, their gifts, their network, etc. Yes, these may offer some help.
Ultimately however, we are called to rely on God (1:9). Our “comfort” abounds in Christ. Note that comfort in II Corinthians really isn’t about our ease, painlessness, or lack of inconvenience.
Rather, this English word, in the days of John Wycliff, was used in a way that was closely connected with its root, the Latin word fortis, which means brave, strong, or courageous. (See Nigel Watson’s fine commentary on 2 Corinthians)
So what does a minister do when things get rough? You depend on God’s comfort.
God’s comfort will keep you focused on your hope.
God’s comfort will give you stamina.
God’s comfort will give you courage.
God’s comfort will give you backbone.
Ministry can be hard - very hard. Yet, God is faithful and will see us through. God will give us his comfort.
Etcetera (Viewing, Listening, Reading)
Adam Grant interviews James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) on his podcast “Work Life.” This is an excellent interview!
See this episode from Russell Moore’s podcast entitled “Russell’s Desert Island Bookshelf.” A wonderful way to get acquainted with some very good books.
Ray Ortlund has written a very helpful little study guide on the Psalms. I am using the book, Psalms: Real Help for Real Life each morning in July. (The video resource that comes with this is excellent as well.)
I am reading Robert A. Caro’s book, Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing. I have long been fascinated by how people work.
I serve as Vice President of Harding School of Theology, Memphis, Tennessee.
Every other Monday morning, I publish this “Encouragement Note.” You can subscribe at jimmartin.substack.com. You can also find me on Facebook - @jim.martin or Instagram - @jimmartin.jm. My e-mail address is: jmartin9669@gmail.com. Feel free to write. I would love to hear what is encouraging or helpful. — Jim Martin
