One of my favorite show business story is one that happened years ago. It's about the Glenn Miller band. Their bus broke down in the middle of nowhere and they were late for a gig so the band members were forced to walk a long distance into town through snow, ice and mud carrying their instruments.
While trudging through a field, they came across a farmhouse. Inside they could see a family sitting by the fire, husband reading the paper, wife knitting, children playing on the floor with their toys: a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting. One of the musician shuddered and said to another, "How do people live like that?"
Performers get that joke. So should those of us in the ministry. Though there's nothing wrong with a "Rockwellian lifestyle," we need to aspire for something more. If we're not getting our hands dirty, if we're not roughing it a little bit, if we're not trudging through ice or snow, so to speak, in order to get the job done — then we're asking too little of ourselves.
Sometimes my life has the ease and comfort of a Rockwell painting, and I treasure those moments. But the crazy times — those remind me that the ministry (and the life of discipleship) is intended to be an adventure. It's inconvenient sometimes, and occasionally repetitious, and often demanding — but it's an adventure. And as for me, I wouldn't trade it for anything else.
Here's Matthew 16:24 in the New Living Translation: "If anyone of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I think this is intersting, but the key to your story is sacrifice. you see the rock bands folks live the life the world sold them.
But the familiy they ran into sacrificed the world to be content and enjoy life. You see the devils best trick is to make you BUSY. It is amazing how much dust we create, but all that does is create a smoke screen.
Matthew 16:24 is not about convienance, but about sacrifice. In order to follow God, we have to give up the ways of the world.
If God has poured blessing upon you, what are you doing with those blessings?
You see God wants you to be content in Him, if your life is so full of activities, events, and what ever else, you are missing out on a great thing, contentment, and that takes work.
I encourage you to focus on God, and what he has for you, don't try and add to it, be content with the things of the lord and stay out of the rat race, This is the race that causes Sin.
Post a Comment