The Noble RenaissanceSample

 Let It Cost You Something 

Too often I’ve wanted to have a cozy Christian life. One without hurdles, one filled with kindness and testimonies galore. Forever searching for the happy and positive, I would cower away from difficulties. I would change the job or the boyfriend for a more comfortable existence. When I was invited to become a pastor, I ran away from the opportunity. I enjoyed being a freelancer, choosing who to work with and how often I wanted to work with them. But once I was honest with myself, I admitted that I feared letting down a brilliant church. I was scared that I would get it wrong, that I would disappoint people I loved. In response, my senior pastor said, “Oh you’ll get it wrong. But what if you were loved when you did?” I always equated getting something wrong with loneliness—never with an opportunity for empowerment. 

Choosing the path of pastoring actually cost me something. I had to stretch beyond my means. I had to trust in God so much more because I wasn’t in control. I had forgotten about the love that helps us overcome, that strengthens us. And in any great act of nobility, it is the very adversity we run from that can strengthen our character. If we’d only say yes to the things that cost us, we would learn the art of perseverance, we would take the path that finally brings us back to hope (Rom. 5:4).