The Road to Success!

This summer I have decided to take some time and think through the journey of life and ministry and evaluate what's next for myself, my family, and my calling. Ministry is a very challenging, demanding, yet fulfilling calling in life and as I have said before, it is one I never thought I would ever in a million years be involved in! And now that I have been in ministry for over 12 years, and at Discovery for the past 9 years, I have found myself thinking, reflecting, and wondering!


As part of this personal journey I have begun reading a little book that I come back to time and time again in my life written by John Mason who is the Founder and President of Insight International, a ministry that is dedicated to bringing excellence and efficiency to Christian ministries and businesses. His book is entitled, "Letting Go of Whatever Makes You Stop." This book is on my top ten list of books that every leader in life should read, and re-read, and then re-read again! It is a book of "NUGGETS" for life, faith, and leadership that is both uplifting and challenging.


This morning I once again opened it to the first nugget entitled... "A Diamond is a Hunk of Coal That Stuck to its Job and Made Good Under Pressure." And as I began to read it again, I was struck by this statement in the first chapter where he writes... 


"The road to success runs uphill, so don't expect to break any speed records. IMPATIENCE is costly. Your greatest mistakes will happen because of impatience."


BOY... was he reading my mind, or maybe he has been following me around the past couple of months, or years! This is SO TRUE! And honestly, as I reflect on this in a self-revealing manner I have to admit that I am FAMOUS for being impatient and for suffering the ultimate outcome! Time and time again my PATIENCE level has been on empty and in those moments I have made some really stupid, damaging, and sometimes hurtful decisions in all sorts of areas of my life and ministry!


You know... as I ponder this... I think that many of us in life FAIL at some really important things because we believe in the adage...


"If at first try you don't succeed, then try something else!!"


The TRUTH is... we live in a culture in North America that can be summed up with the words "Instant Gratification Society!" And this reality tends to permeate all areas of life and even faith in Canada and our neighbours to the south. As people in this culture, we often want it now, and when it doesn't all come together in short time, we are more than prone to find the next great thing, or chase the next dream!


BUT all great achievements and worthwhile endeavors in life take TIME and TENACITY! The apostle Paul said it this way in his letter to the churches in Galatia...


"And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessings if we don't get discouraged and give up!" ~Galatians 6:9 TLB


You know... I think this is the BIGGEST CHALLENGE for many of us in sticking with things and seeing things through to completion and that is along the way we often get WEARY, TIRED, DISCOURAGED, and want to simply GIVE UP! 


BUT in this great verse near the end of Paul's letter he reminds his listeners and us today that we will "REAP a HARVEST of blessings" if we don't allow the under-miner of success called DISCOURAGEMENT to creep into our lives and faith! We will "REAP what we SOW" in God's timing "IF" we don't let go too soon! We will ultimately find ourselves moving in the right direction on the road to success "IF" we hold on... and TRUST God along the way!


Choosing to not get tired of doing what is right...


Rev Trev