Motivation to Keep on Keeping on

Got a list of assignment requests emailed today. One writer, a longtime friend, wrote back to say, yes, she would write. She had just been talking with someone who had tried establishing a ministry like the one she leads, and it wasn't flourishing; they're thinking of giving it up. My friend recounted how long it takes to see change in the population she's reaching and then said it will be hard to describe all they're doing within the word count I gave her. She's been working hard for many years to lead a ministry that is now impacting many, many families.
Maybe it's my imagination, but she sounded a little tired. I thought about how exhausting ministry can be. (Indeed, any job can be tiring. But ministry has the added burden of concern for the physical lives and spiritual wellbeing of all those touched by the ministry.) I jotted the following as a part of my reply to her:

Sometimes ministry is fulfilling and joyous as we see lives changed. Other times it's plodding and pressure-filled as we deal with the messiness of broken lives (including our own!). I'm sensing in your note that you're feeling the burden more than the blessing today. I think I can relate, although there's nothing more exhausting than working with individuals whose needs are unpredictable and sometimes unpleasant. My tiredness comes from paper and procedures and deadlines and corporate structures. But usually I get to leave it in the evening. And seldom am I interrupted in the night by a need related to my ministry.

It's easy to get frustrated with ministers we know: their quirks, their egos,  their inconsistencies, their imperfections. But I'm far more impressed by the faithfulness, the devotion to service, the long hours and the heartfelt concern I've seen expressed by so many ministers I know. Most of them I know set an example that challenges me to be better and do more, and most of all just to hang in there.
Tomorrow I'll pray for my friend that she has the motivation to keep on keeping on. And then I'll pray that same prayer for myself.

Our March issue is in the
mail, I'll read the proof for our
April issue next week, and we're
working hard already on art and editing
of the May issue of Christian Standard.