Check your Contract

I heard the frustration in his voice. Too much to do, and not enough people to do the job. It was Sunday morning…crunch time in ministry…and this media leader knew the job had to be done.

Have you experienced that kind of frustration? I certainly have. In my seven decades of life and 50 plus years of media work, the challenges of the tasks were sometimes overwhelming. I suspect you have been there, too. I’ve often had a recurring “radio” dream that the song was ending, it was time for me to read news, and I had no copy. And there were no more songs to play. Nothing but dead air…and frustration!

Now…you may think I’m going to share some nice words about how God will move the obstacles and the challenges of ministry, making your way lighter and brighter. Sorry. Not this time. I’ll just begin by sharing the words of an old Black pastor.

“Check your contract.”

God never promised a life of ease and comfort.

We sometimes equate being in the center of God’s will with a lack of problems. I remember a devotional from my friend Joni Eareckson Tada, who has spent some 50 years in a wheelchair. She reflected on the challenging time Mary and Joseph had before Jesus was born…and afterwards, too. The ridicule, the difficult trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the stable, the exile to Egypt. Great challenges. And Mary and Joseph were in the very center of God’s will.

No, ease and comfort are not the marks of being in God’s will. In fact, I know some non-believers who are financially set for life, who have a nice home, and seem to have no challenges. But they are clearly NOT in God’s will.

Yes, we can all learn to delegate, work more efficiently, plan better, and learn other skills to help us better manage our time, ourselves, and others. Yet, we will likely still have challenges and trials.

Jesus said it. “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.” (John 16:33 NLT) James echoed it. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” (James 1:3 NLT)

You WILL have trials. WHEN troubles come. These verses leave no doubt. But the Apostle Paul reminds us to keep all these trials, troubles, and frustrations in perspective.

[blockquote author=”2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT” link=”” target=”_blank”]For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever![/blockquote]

So, check your contract, and understand that our faithful God will be with us through any trial, and through any challenge, no matter how great or how small.

One more passage and promise to remember when going through one of these trials.

[blockquote author=”Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT” link=”” target=”_blank”]So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. [/blockquote]

To put that thought in the immortal words of the 1960s hit song… “Hang on, Sloopy, hang on!”