Patience in Ministry
When I was a kid, my brother and I had epic battles over the remote control. For a while it was fine because we both wanted to watch the “Three T’s”: Thundercats, Transformers, and TMNT’s. Then I hit high school while my brother was still in 6th grade, and our afternoon entertainment was no longer harmonious. I wanted control over the remote. The thought of being patient and waiting thirty minutes to turn on a wholesome Jerry Springer episode was not in my skill set. I had control issues.
Why do I tell this silly story? I share it because I find my “ministry patience” these days to be similar. Like kids watching cartoons, I feel that all is well and harmonious when the fruit is plentiful, when the newsletters are chalk full of testimonies, and when I walk across campus high fiving those whose lives “I” have eternally changed through “my” fruitful ministry. I’m in control, and I’m producing.
Then a slow season comes, a spiritual drought with little fruit. I would like to say that I am content to use the time to sharpen my harvesting tools, fertilize the fallow ground, and mend the stables, but, alas, that is not the case. Instead I fall into “remote-control-loss” level impatience. I want what I want, and I want it now. I want control and power. I want to be a god. My sinful impatience with seeing fruit does not stop there, and it leads to a domino effect of other sins: comparison, isolation, and cynicism, just to name a few.
Looking back on those remote control battles, I can see the greater lesson of how it paid off to pursue patience and invest in that season despite the circumstances. If I turned from my own ways and let my brothers watch their cartoons for an hour, I could knock out my homework and then watch the whole NFL game that night. There is benefit in releasing control, and the Lord has been gracious to me in my need for control. He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. By His grace He gives us gospel power to repent and tools to persevere: His Word, invested in daily, reminds me to make the most of different seasons; His body spurs me on towards love and good deeds via encouragement and reproof; His Spirit battles my unbelief and comforts me in my time of need. All of these are lessons learned in “patient” seasons of ministry that I hope will encourage you on your journey.