Here are a few thoughts from Ed Dobson, co-author of a very insightful book entitled "Standing Fast: Ministry in an Unfriendly World" ...
BUSTING the FOUR MYTHS of MINISTRY ...
Another tactic when the call to ministry seems in doubt is to remember the four myth- busters of ministry. The first three I heard from Truman Dollar; the last I added from my own experience.
1. It is NEVER as bad as you think it is -
Even when things seem darkest, circumstances are usually not as hopeless or awful as they first appear. Experience has proven that you should never let church politics or conflicts obscure your vision of the bigger things God may be doing in the church.
2. It’s NEVER as good as you think it is -
There are times in church ministry when everything seems to be going marvelously. That’s when you need to be careful. It’s only an illusion. As Jerry Falwell used to say, “In ministry I’ve never had two good days back to back.”
3. It’s NEVER completely fixed -
Ministry is a process; it’s people. To say, “I’ve taken care of this problem It won’t recur,” is to live in a fool’s paradise. Problems can come back to plague you long after you thought they were resolved.
4. It’s NEVER completely broken -
Not long ago, a pastor from Kenya spoke in our morning worship service. He pointed out that during the first thirty years of missionary efforts in Kenya, more missionaries died than the number of converts who were won. In spite of the difficulties and slowness of progress, these men and women were still convinced that Kenya wasn’t completely broken. And so they kept at their callings, knowing that someday their work would bear fruit. As a result, the number of African Christians has grown from 10 million in 1900 to half a billion in 2015, and it is due to reach a billion no later than the 2040s. ~ Ed Dobson, "Standing Fast: Ministry in an Unfriendly World" (adapted)
I encourage you to keep running the race with great endurance ... because it's never completely broken!
In His Eternal Grip,
~ PJVS
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