2 Corinthians 4:1 - "Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart."
In the ministry I share with others, it is tempting to lose heart when things don't go according to plan, when the responses to that ministry are not what I had hoped, when my own laziness or shortsightedness disappoint me. Then I'm reminded that it's not about me.
"The question, you see, is not to prepare but to live in a state of ongoing preparedness so that, when someone who is drowning in the world comes into your world, you are ready to reach out and help. It may be at four o'clock, six o'clock, or nine o'clock. One time you call it preaching, the next time teaching, then counseling, or later administration. But let them be part of your life in God - that's ministering." - Henri J.M. Nouwen, "Time Enough to Minister," Leadership, Spring, 1982. Quoted in A Guide to Prayer, R.P. Job, Norman Shawchuck, The Upper Room Press, 1983.
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